


What is a Jellicle cat?

by MJ1999



Series: Life of Delibub [1]
Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T. S. Eliot
Genre: Abandonment, Complete, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Hypnotism, M/M, Mind Control, Post-Canon, Self-Esteem Issues, Years Later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22291084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MJ1999/pseuds/MJ1999
Summary: When Delibub, a red Somali cat from a rich family, is thrust out onto the streets, she has a fateful encounter with a grey tabby who takes her under his wing, introducing her to a tribe of cats, a new identity and a fantastical life she had no idea could even exist. But on the tribe’s most important night of the year, a mysterious ginger tom threatens the tribe’s way of life and her newfound family.
Relationships: Mr. Mistoffelees/Rum Tum Tugger, Munkustrap (Cats)/Original Character(s), Munkustrap (Cats)/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Series: Life of Delibub [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627522
Comments: 20
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

One bright summer midafternoon, a red cat lounged on a black table by the window of the mansion she occupied, soaking up the sunlight. She found she quite liked the colour black, as it was the warmest to lay down on. This was one of those times when all of her worries melted away. In that big, lonely house… On this table, she could just fall into nothingness. She was roused from her daydream by the feeling of two arms scooping her up. Too relaxed to move, she fell limp and let her human carry her out to the car, perhaps for a vet appointment, or a grooming session, as they surely wouldn’t do that themselves.

She lay in the back seat of the car, feeling lucky that the seats were leather, as they were just as warm as the table. As the car ride dragged on, she began to wonder where they were going that took so long to get to. She sat up and looked out the window. She could see London appearing in the distance. This was quite different from the countryside their mansion occupied. She watched as they passed buildings, and alleyways and streets, and she saw many cats out and about, rummaging through trash, fighting over food. For a moment, she thought she saw one, a grey one with striking, icy blue eyes, look right at her. The car came to a screeching halt next to a park. The red cat watched as her human walked around to her side of the car, scooping her out and setting her down. Quickly, the human removed the cat’s collar, tossed it into the car, got in and sped off, leaving the poor kitty in the dust.

The abandoned cat sat and waited for her owner to return. She waited until the sun went down. Feeling her stomach growl, she hesitantly left her spot to look for food. She looked around. Seeing someone go into a restaurant, she quickly slipped in before the door shut. She sauntered over to a table and hopped up onto an empty chair. The person eating their meal screamed, getting the attention of the whole restaurant, and the red cat was thrown out before she knew what was happening. ‘ _ Well... _ ’ she thought, brushing herself off, ‘ _ Some people don’t know how to treat a lady... _ ’ She continued her search. Coming to an alleyway, she stopped to watch some strays to see how they did it. She watched as a scruffy savannah cat knocked the lid off of a trash can and pulled out a mouldy sandwich. The red cat gagged, then sighed. If she wasn’t allowed in restaurants, she supposed this was her only option. She waited for the cats to finish, then made her way over, hopping up onto a trash can and sticking her head into the open one. She grabbed a rotten fish out with her teeth and hopped down, satisfied with her find. She held her breath and took a bite. As disgusting as this fish was, she was too hungry to care. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. She looked up. In the entry to the alley, there were three cats, silhouetted by the light of the street lamps. They stalked toward her slowly, low to the ground. One of them growled, spotting the fish. “What’ve you got there?” the largest cat taunted.

“Does the little kitty got a fish?” the female next to the large male cat smirked.

“Should we show ‘er whose territory she’s stomping on?” the littlest one inquired of the largest one. The largest one noded. Reeling back, the three cats lunged toward the scared, red cat.

***

Meanwhile, a grey tabby wandered the streets, patrolling the perimeter around the junkyard. He had to make sure everything was clear for the arrival of his father. Everything had to be perfect. The night of the ball was coming up, after all, and his younger brother had been distracting him so. He explored the streets for any sign of a threat when abruptly, he heard a cry of pain. Turning on his heel, out of instinct, he gave chase toward the sound of the yell. Upon reaching his destination, he found three cats tormenting a poor, scared little red cat. Springing into action, he made quick work of the smallest assailant, digging his claws into the cat’s back and flinging him to the wall. Next were the big fish. He batted the female away from the red cat, hissing at her. Having gotten their attention off of the red cat and onto himself, he took the fish in his mouth and bounded away, hoping to the Everlasting Cat they would follow. His plan had worked. They abandoned their goal with the red cat and followed after the grey tabby. The tabby turned sharply down alleyways, hopped on trashcans and up fire escapes.

Eventually, he seemed to have lost the two cats with any remaining consciousness and returned to the scene of the fight to find the red cat cowering in the corner of the alley. Before approaching, he tiptoed over to the littlest cat to make sure he was still breathing. Upon confirming that the little one was alright, the little cat opened his eyes and huddled against the wall. The tabby stood tall above him and said in a commanding voice, “Leave. Find your tribe, and don’t let me catch you harming another fellow cat.” To make his point, he hissed and gave the little cat a fake swipe, which was enough to send the little cat running. Turning back toward the red cat, he made his way over to her and dropped the fish before her. “Here, eat. You need your strength.” He sat down and watched as the little red cat eagerly devoured the fish, occasionally glancing up at the tabby but not meeting his eyes. She finished, licking her paw and wiping her mouth with it. “Who are you?” he asked. The red cat put her paw to her chest, feeling for her tags before remembering they’d been taken from her.

“I’m called… Scarlet…” she said meekly. The grey tabby eyed her thoughtfully.

“Ah… The name that the family uses. But who  _ are _ you? What is your preferred name?” he asked. He noticed that he must be scaring her, so he lowered his head to her level. “Do you only have one name?”

“... Should I have another?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Well,” the tabby chuckled, “Traditionally, a cat has  _ three _ different names. First of all, there’s the name that the family use daily. Ordinary names. Sensible names. But a cat needs a name that distinguishes her from the others. A name that never belongs to more than one cat. My name,” he brushed a paw over his chest fur, “Is Munkustrap.”

“What about the third name?” the red cat asked.

“Well,” Munkustrap began, “There  _ is  _ a belief that a cat must have one name for herself that no human or cat knows, aside from the cat herself. But I don’t much hold to that.”

“How do I find my name?” she asked.

“You must look inside yourself, at the quality of your character, and the contents of your soul.” Munkustrap replied. The red cat thought for a moment. She was… Rich. No, not anymore. She was… Red. She was… Delicate. Deli…

“Bub.” she finished her thought aloud.

“Bub?” Munkustrap raised an eyebrow.

“It’s nice to meet you, Munkustrap. My name is Delibub.” she smiled, holding out a paw. He laid his paw on hers in greeting.

“You’ve been abandoned, have you?” he asked. She nodded.

“How did you know?”

“Your fur is neat and tidy, like a well taken care of housecat should be. Come, come, let me bring you to shelter. You must be cold and tired.” He flicked his tail in the direction of the street and set off. Hesitantly, she followed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Munkustrap guided Delibub through the streets until a large junkyard came into view. He came to a slow stop before entering, turning to Delibub. “I must warn you. The other Jellicles can be… _Unusual_ , for lack of a better word.” Delibub cocked her head to one side.

“ _Jellicles_?” she queried. Munkustrap let out a light laugh.

“You’ll see. Come.” he invited her to stand by his side with his paw and they stepped into the yard together. She looked around in awe. All around her were cats of all shapes, sizes and colours, lounging on cars, jumping from pile to pile of trash, laughing, _singing_ ! Some had collars, some were strays, but there was one thing about them that she noticed right away. None of them cared. As she and Munkustrap approached the center of the yard, all eyes shifted to her and she shrunk under their gaze. She thought they must be judging her. All of her scratches, it was clear she had been in a scuffle. “Jellicle cats!” Munkustrap commanded their attention, “Come _one_ , come _all_ . _Come_ , meet our guest for this year’s Jellicle ball.” She watched as the many cats’ expressions softened, greeting her with meows and waves of their tails. She waved a paw.

“Hello,” she said, quiet as a mouse.

“Her name is Delibub. She will be seeking shelter here, with us,” Munkustrap explained, “I expect you all to make her feel welcome.” As he spoke, an older looking cat with tiger stripes and leopard spots approached, touching her nose to Delibub’s in greeting.

“Hello, dear. My name is Jennyanydots, but the younger cats all call me Jenny.” she smiled, her chubby cheeks rising as she did. She held out her paw and gestured to a group of other cats. “Come, meet some of the others.” she invited. Delibub nodded, going along with her. They arrived in the midst of a group of two toms and a queen. They all smiled at her, welcoming her into their group. Delibub tried to muster up some confidence.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” she smiled.

“Hello, Delibub. It’s nice to meet you too. My name is Alonzo.” said a black and white cat with a little bow.

“And my name is Quaxo,” added the tuxedo cat.

“How do you do, Quaxo?” she giggled a little at the name.

“Very well, thank you.” he gave her a small smile.

“And who might you be?” she asked, looking at the other small queen.

“Demeter.” Demeter smiled, holding her tail up straight. “What brings you to the junkyard?” Delibub shrank back a little, remembering why she was here in the first place.

“Well I… I was abandoned…” she admitted sheepishly. She knew she _must_ have done something wrong, to bring her humans to cast her away like this. She didn’t know _what_ she did, but she couldn’t help but feel immense shame.

“ _Oh_ !” Jenny gasped, “You poor _dear_ ! I don’t know what that is like, but there are many Jellicle cats who have been put out on the streets by their humans. I’m sure you can find some support among them.” She gave Delibub a motherly smile, earning a little smile back. They hadn’t scoffed at her or sneered or judged her in any way. Was _that_ what a Jellicle was? One who always kept an open mind towards others? Or was this just the nature of these particular cats. Delibub would ponder this fact over the next many nights.

“What about you?” she looked to Quaxo and Alonzo. “You fellows don’t have collars.”

“Oh! I was born a stray!” Quaxo replied, “My brother Mistoffelees got adopted when we were young, but I’ve been living on the streets all my life.” He didn’t sound one bit ashamed.

“As have I,” Added Alonzo, “I can’t imagine living in some cushy household after all the streets have taught me. I’d be glad to teach you,” He said with a cheeky grin, “Anything you’d like to learn.”

“Um, well… How to hunt for food, and where to avoid. I’m afraid I made an awful mistake on my first hunt. Do street cats have _territory_ or were the cats that attacked me just being terribly _rude_?” Delibub asked.

“When you’re hunting, you’ll need to fight to defend your territory,” Demeter confirmed, “The grounds within the junkyard fencing belongs to the Jellicles. Munkustrap made sure of that. That way, we can rest assured that we have a safe place to hunt. But when food is scarce, we’re sometimes forced to hunt outside of our grounds. But that’s why we have claws.” she grinned, unsheathing her long, sharp claws. Delibub shrank back. Demeter realized Delibub’s apprehension and retracted her claws, holding out a paw. “It’s okay. I wasn’t going to hurt you.”

“It’s not that…” Delibub shook her head.

“What is it, dear?” Jenny asked, worriedly, “Did we do something wrong?”

“No, no! You’re all _wonderful_. I just… I can’t defend myself like you lot. I don’t have claws…” Delibub confessed. This was met with a gasp from the four cats.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry…” Jenny said sadly, “But don’t you worry. Anything we Jellicles catch, we bring back to the junkyard and share with the tribe. Especially cats like I who have humans, since they feed _us_ at home. We simply hunt for fun and give to those who need it.”

“And,” Demeter added, “Although you can’t defend yourself as we can, nobody would ever dream of harming you here.” She put a paw on Delibub’s shoulder. Delibub nodded.

“Thank you all for taking me in. Now. What is this _Jellicle_ _ball_ I’ve been hearing about?” she asked.

“Oh, It’s the one night of the year when _all_ the Jellicles are together in one place.” Jenny grinned.

“We sing.” Alonzo cut in.

“And dance!” Demeter added.

“And tell stories!” Quaxo said excitedly. Delibub could tell he was quite young. Not quite a kitten, but he had a youthful air about him.

“That sounds _grand_!” Delibub tapped her paws on the floor to signify clapping. She flicked her tail.

“It is! And at the end of the night, our leader, Old Deuteronomy, will choose the most deserving cat to ascend to a place we call the Heaviside Layer to be reborn into a new life.” Alonzo smiled.

“A new life?” Delibub questioned.

“Yes, yes. Last year it was our dear friend, Gus, and the year before that… It was Munkustrap’s mother…” Jenny’s voice trailed off. Delibub frowned.

“Oh… He must have been sad…” she looked down.

“Well, it may have been bittersweet. A cat’s ascension into the Heaviside Layer is really a joyful time for all of us,” Alonzo assured her, “It means their pain and suffering will finally be over, and they can have a second, third, or even ninth chance at life.” Delibub ruminated on that for a moment. A new life… What could that be like? Perhaps in a new life, she’d be born a street cat. An intact cat who knew the ways of the street. She wouldn’t have to worry about adapting. What a life that would be…

***

Later in the evening, Delibub had taken it upon herself to go around and get acquainted with all the Jellicles she came across. They were all very welcoming. Extensively so. It seemed as though they were trying to make up for something. As she was leaving a group of cats by the names Bombalurina, Cassandra and Exotica, Munkustrap approached her. “How are you settling in?” he asked her, smiling warmly.

“Quite alright. Everyone is very kind.” She nodded, then she shivered a little.

“Are you cold?” he inquired, “Here, let me help you find a place to build a den.” He led her over to the largest trash pile. In it, there were many holes to find shelter in. She could see broken down cars, broken air conditioners, giant metal tubes for who _knows_ what. She kept a bit of distance away from the trash.

“Is there anywhere a little bit… _Cleaner_?” she asked, pawing at the ground and noticing her paws already becoming stained with dirt and grime. Munkustrap looked down, sighing a little.

“Delibub. Listen to me. You are a _stray_ now. Your life will be changing in many ways. And if you want to survive, you will have to get a little dirty. Please. Don’t let your pride be the end of you.” he looked her in the eyes. She sighed. Slowly, she approached the many options for shelter. She took a look inside the broken down car. The seats had been taken out, most likely by humans. This left it to be very roomy inside.

“Is there a class system? Do more important cats get the first pick of larger shelters?” she asked.

“ _Important_?” he frowned. “Certainly not. We are all equal. Whether we come from rags or riches, everyone here is treated with respect. Shelters are first come, first serve. If there aren’t enough to go around, we share.” Delibub flopped down onto her side inside the car, getting a feel for the area.

“Well, then.” She sat up. “I’d like to live _here_ … I mean, please.” she corrected. Munkustrap chuckled. She was quite the odd queen.

“Well, then. I suppose we’ve found you a place to stay. Why don’t we go look for things to help it feel homier.” He offered.

“Well,” called a voice, “This is the new queen.” Munkustrap and Delibub looked to see a cat with a very fluffy mane sitting atop a tall pile of rubbish. He looked to the sky and he made a great leap, landing in front of Delibub. “ _Hello_ there… Who might _you_ be?” He gave her a flirtatious smile. Munkustrap rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Delibub… Meet my brother, Rum Tum _Tugger_.” He introduced.

“How do you do, Rum Tum Tugger?” Delibub asked.

“ _Please_.” Tugger stretched. “Call me Tugger.” Delibub giggled.

“Tugger.” She repeated. Very quickly, Munkustrap cut in.

“Tugger, can you please leave her be? She’s had a long night and it’s no time for your antics right now,” he said, exasperated. Tugger gave him a nod and a wink and sauntered off. Munkustrap sighed. “Now. Let’s make this old car home.” He smiled. “What do you like? What about your old home makes you happy, and comfortable?” Delibub thought for a moment.

“Well… Pillows… And blankets! Fluffy carpeting… curtains I can hide in…” Delibub began to reminisce on her time at her old home, “Windows where the sun shines through on a midafternoon… And the children… The children were my favourite part of my old home…” Her wistful expression turned sad. “Why did they stop loving me?” A tear formed in her eye, soaking into her fur. “Whatever did I do wrong?” More tears. She sat down and just let them come, causing her cheeks to become damp and matted from the tears. Munkustrap looked at her with concern in his eyes and sat down with her. He wiped her eyes with his tail.

“It is painful, I know… Being abandoned... I’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong. Humans are… Complicated beings,” he consoled her, “But you will heal with time. You’re among friends here.” Delibub sniffed.

“Thank you, Munkustrap… I don’t know where I’d be without you… Probably dead… So sincerely, thank you.” She smiled, earning a smile back from Munkustrap. He stood up.

“Now. I surely can’t get you human children for your den, but most of that is doable with all that gets dropped here every few days. Let’s take a look around and see what we can find, shall we?” He helped her up.

“We shall.” She grinned. This was going to be fun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. So, in the last chapter, I accidentally had Delibub call Quaxo Mistoffelees. This was a mistake as I headcanon them as different cats. I have since fixed this.

Munkustrap and Delibub had spent the rest of the night searching around the junkyard for things that reminded her of her old home until daylight came and Munkustrap had to retire to  _ his _ human’s home. They had found some nice things. A ratty old pillow (It would have to do), some blankets, old clothing, and some stuffing from a couch that had been discarded, as they  _ weren’t _ going to try and move a  _ couch _ . With that, Delibub had made herself a nice little home.

It was early morning now, and Delibub was resting on the hood of the car she called home now. The morning sun shining down on the metal, warming it up. It was almost like the black table at her old home, albeit a little bit hotter, which caused her to have to get up and walk around to cool off before going to lay down again. She’d need to find another warm surface to lay on. Perhaps a tire. She wondered if she would somehow be able to find a way to move a tire up onto the hood of the car, where the sun hit it so perfectly. Perhaps with the help of some cats… She glanced around the yard to see who looked like they could help her. She noticed the kittens Electra, Pouncival and Etcetera, but they were far too small. She also observed Quaxo stalking a mouse near where she sat. She decided to wait until he finished with his hunt to ask. 

Watching him intently, she found it quite interesting the way he stalked his prey. He dragged himself along the ground with his butt up in the air and his tail tucked in under him. It made her giggle. Hearing this, he whipped his head around to find the source of the laughing, not noticing his meal scurry away and hide inside a tin can. Upon seeing Delibub, he smiled. “Oh! Hello Delibub! What’s so funny?” He asked.

“Well…  _ You _ , a little bit…” she admitted, “I’ve just never seen a cat stalk a mouse that way. I’ve never seen a cat stalk a mouse at  _ all _ , actually.”

“We should go hunting together sometime! I’m sure you can find a way without… Um, nevermind.”

“It’s okay. It’s a fact that I don’t have claws,” She sighed, “I have to get used to it.”

“Okay… We should, though! My brother doesn’t have claws either, and I taught him to hunt. I’m sure I could teach you too!” He offered.

“You think so?” She asked hopefully.

“I know so! Mistoffelees likes to go down to the park and catch fish in the pond with his teeth,” Quaxo laughed, “But he just hunts for me because he has humans who feed him.”

“That’s nice. I’d like to meet this  _ Mistoffelees _ . What is he like?” She asked.

“He’s a wonderful brother! Quiet, though. And he does magic!”

“Magic!” Delibub asked, wide-eyed, “What kind of magic?”

“Well, one time, he produced seven kittens right out of a hat!” Quaxo explained enthusiastically, “And two years ago, he saved our leader Old Deuteronomy from the clutches of  _ Macavity _ !”

“Macavity?”

“Macavity. He’s a mystery cat and a master criminal. He’s  _ never _ been found at the scene of his crimes! He’s a dangerous cat to be sure. He has mysterious powers of levitation, teleportation and he hypnotizes you with his eyes!” Quaxo said, widening his eyes and getting in Delibub’s face for emphasis. She shrank back, startled, but composed herself

“If he’s never been found at the scene of the crime, how do you know he’s guilty of any of them?” She asked.

“His smell. The whole place would reek of him. That and he kidnapped our leader one year, right in front of our eyes. He distracted us with catnip, made us go crazy, and made off with him into the night.”

“And your brother saved him? How?” She was enraptured in his story.

“He conjured him up out of thin air! Never was there  _ ever _ a cat so clever as magical Mr. Mistoffelees!” It was sweet how Quaxo praised his brother like this.

“So, if he’s magic, and you’re his brother, does that mean that you’re magic too?” She inquired. Quaxo nodded.

“Yup! I’m not as well practiced as he is, but I can move things with my mind!” He sat tall and proud.

“That’s  _ perfect _ ! Quaxo! Can you help me with something? I need a tire moved onto the hood of that car!” She pointed her tail to the car.

“Why of course!” He grinned. “I’m always happy to help out a friend!” Together they found a tire. Quaxo closed his eyes and concentrated hard, envisioning the tire and where he wanted it to go. For a moment, nothing happened. But then, Delibub watched in awe as the tire began to float, and ever so slowly, move towards the hood of the car. Quaxo gently put the tire down, smiling to himself when he saw that he had succeeded. Delibub tapped the ground with her paws, pleased.

“That was  _ fantastic _ !” She grinned. “You’re a very clever cat, Quaxo.” And with that, she bowed her head in thanks, hopped up onto the hood of the car, and continued her nap on the tire.

***

Delibub, exhausted from the night she had, napped all the way from morning to moonrise. But as night fell and the moon came up over the London skyline, she awoke to the sound of Quaxo’s voice. “Deli! Deli!” She opened one eye.

“Mmm… Yes?” She inquired.

“Would you like to come with me on a hunt?” He invited. She sat up.

“That would be nice!” Her stomach rumbled. “And I  _ am _ very hungry.”

“Then let’s get a move on!” He hopped off the car and ran out of the junkyard, followed quickly by Delibub.

***

“So, its easier to hunt when you don’t have a collar,” Quaxo whispered, watching a mouse from afar, low to the ground with his butt up in the air. Delibub suppressed a giggle, “Since your tags won’t jingle around and make noise.” He managed to get closer to the mouse when it had gone into a corner, stepping a paw down on its tail. The mouse squeaked frantically and wiggled around as he picked it up in his paw. He bit the top half off and hit the rest over to Delibub. “I know we usually take everything back and share, but it’s just a little snack.” She nodded and eagerly ate the rest of the mouse, slurping the tail like it was a noodle.

“But how am I supposed to hunt with just my teeth?” She asked.

“Hunt through trash, do what my brother does in the park pond. That one’s pretty fun. Come on!” He led her through the streets until they came to a park. They ran over to the pond and surveyed it, making sure it actually had fish. “And you just…” Quaxo dunked his head in the water and came back up with a fish flopping in his mouth. “Like that!” He said between clenched teeth, spitting the fish out onto the grass. “Now you try!” Delibub looked down into the dark water, closed her eyes and dunked her head in. She snapped around blindly for a fish but ultimately came up with nothing. “No, no you have to  _ open _ your eyes! Watch.” Quaxo dunked his head under and looked around for a fish. Following his lead, Delibub dunked her head in, slowly opening her eyes when she was under. She could see some fish, but they were too far down to reach. All of a sudden, one swam right at her, startling her. It hit her right in the nose. She swiped at it and pulled her head out of the water. She glanced over at Quaxo to see him rolling on the grass laughing at her. She pouted, flicking her tail at him.

“Hey, he scared me!” She shook her fur off and sauntered over to him. She bumped her side into him, sending him rolling into the shallow area of the pond! Now it was  _ her _ turn to laugh! Quaxo spat out water. “I can try again tomorrow.” She smirked, picking up the fish in her mouth. “Race you back to the junkyard!” She began to run away with the fish, giggling to herself.

“Hey, wait for me!” Quaxo laughed, getting out of the water and shaking himself off. Before leaving, he dunked his head in and grabbed another fish. He began to chase after Delibub.

***

As she ran through the streets, laughing to herself, Delibub hadn’t noticed that in her rush of excitement, she had gone the wrong way. In fact, she had gone in the complete opposite direction of the junkyard. Sitting down, she tried to get her bearings and see if there was anything that looked familiar to her. She looked around frantically. Nothing. ‘ _ Okay, Delibub, _ ’ she thought to herself, ‘ _ Stay calm… And stay where you are. If you move, you’ll only get yourself more lost. _ ” She elected that calling for Quaxo in hopes that he’d hear her would be her best option. “Quaxooooo!” she called, “Help!” She waited a moment, hearing nothing but the echo of her own voice. Suddenly, she heard soft footsteps behind her.

“Well,  _ hello _ there…” said the voice. Delibub turned around to see a chocolate brown cat with streaks of red in his fur, “Are you lost, little one?”


	4. Chapter 4

Quaxo returned to the junkyard to find Munkustrap on patrol. “Hi Munkustrap! Did you see where Delibub went off to when she returned?” He asked.

“Delibub? I thought she was out with  _ you _ .” Munkustrap cocked his head.

“She…  _ Was _ . But she got a head start on the way back, I figured she’d be here by now.”

***

While back on the streets of London, Delibub was keeping her distance from the mysterious cat before her. “Are you lost, little one?” Asked the cat, smiling at her.

“... Yes…” She replied quietly.

“What’s a pretty little kitty like you doing out so late? It can get  _ dangerous _ around these parts at this time of night…” He took a step towards her. She took a step back.

“I was hunting… W-with my friend…” She raised a brow at him. “Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve forgotten to introduce myself.” He stalked forward and tapped his nose to hers in greeting. “Call me  _ Mystery _ .” He gave her a polite bow. “Who might you be?”

“... Delibub.” she replied, shocked by his sudden movement.

“Delibub…” he mused, “Say, can I call you ‘Little Red’?”

“I suppose so. I quite like that, actually.” She smiled a little. He hadn’t tried to steal her fish, so she figured he must be here to help her.

“Well then,  _ Little Red _ … Where might you be headed at this time of night?”

“Um, Saint James Street. The junkyard.” she replied.

“Saint James Street… Oh! You must be a Jellicle cat!” He grinned.

“You know the Jellicles? I haven’t seen you around.”

“Oh, yes, yes, we go very far back! You could say they practically  _ raised  _ me! Before I went my own way,” he explained, “I know exactly where the place you’re looking for is! Would you like me to show you?” She nodded. “Well then, let’s be off!”

At the precise moment that this was happening, Rum Tum Tugger had been for a little walk, jumping from roof to roof under the pale moonlight. When he heard two familiar voices, he stopped and peered over the side, nearly falling off when he saw who was below him. It made his blood go cold, and then boil. He panicked for a moment, not sure how to proceed. Then, quickly, he turned on his heel and ran full speed back in the direction of the junkyard.

***

Meanwhile back at the ranch (A saying which here means ‘meanwhile back in the junkyard’), Quaxo and Munkustrap were growing more worried about Delibub, who hadn’t yet returned. “Should we go look for her?” Quaxo asked. Munkustrap gave him a swift nod.

“Yes, I think we should. I’ll round up a search party,” he said, “Quaxo, go get your brother.” Quaxo nodded and began to run off, until the two saw Tugger bolt into the junkyard, nearly knocking into Munkustrap.

“Munkustrap!” Tugger said through huffing and puffing, “It’s…” huff, “Delibub…” He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. “She’s with  **_Macavity_ ** **!** ”

***

Delibub was following Macavity through the streets. Eventually, her feet began to hurt. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?” she asked, “Nothing looks familiar and,” She picked her paw off the ground, licking it, “My feet are beginning to get sore…”

“I’m so terribly sorry… I thought I knew the way back… Say, why don’t you rest for the night at my place, and then we can more effectively find our way there in the morning, while it’s bright out!” he suggested, leading her along with his tail tucked behind her.

“I don’t know… The Jellicles might be worried…”

“Oh, we won’t get anywhere when it’s this dark out.” He began to lead her into a warehouse they had stopped in front of. “There’s no use in exhausting yourself when you could get a fresh start tomorrow.” He led her to a pile of straw and stared into her eyes. “Doesn’t that look tempting?” All of a sudden, Delibub began to feel drowsy. She yawned, nodding.

“Mmm hmm… I suppose,” she said through yawns, “Some rest would do me good…” She sat in the straw.

“Good…” Mystery chuckled. Now that Delibub was sleepy, he called out, “Girls!” Six female cats stalked out of the dark corners of the warehouse, growling lowly at Delibub. Delibub looked around at them, confused.

“Wh…”   
  


“What are they doing?” It was as if Mystery had read her mind. “Well… I can’t expect to keep my followers if I don’t  _ feed _ them,” he chuckled, “It’s a good thing they like  _ red _ meat…” Delibub gulped, looking around at the cats who now had her surrounded. They looked like they hadn’t eaten in  _ days _ .

***

Meanwhile, Tugger, Munkustrap and Quaxo had assembled a search party, consisting of themselves, Alonzo, Demeter, Jennyanydots and Mistoffelees. Tugger led them to where he had seen Macavity and Delibub, but alas, they were nowhere to be seen. “Rats…” Tugger stomped his paw on the ground, flicking his tail. “I shoulda jumped him when I had the chance…”

“Alright, fan out and search. Leave no stone unturned, no alley unchecked.” Munkustrap commanded. The group nodded. But just then, they heard a bloodcurdling scream.

“Help! Please, somebody, help me!”

“That sounds like Deli!” Quaxo gasped. He took off running in the direction of the noise, followed by the others. They came to the warehouse to find Macavity and six other cats surrounding Delibub! The seven felines bolted in at full speed and each took on one of the cats, Munkustrap handing Macavity. He tackled him to the ground.

“Up to your old tricks again, eh Macavity?” Munkustrap sneered. Macavity managed to roll over, pinning Munkustrap.

“Always,  _ brother _ . I have to eat, after all.” He smirked. “In fact, we might just have a bigger meal than expected.” He raised a claw, fully preparing to slash Munkustrap’s throat but was pushing away at the last second by Tugger, who had managed to knock out two of the queens. He and Jenny immediately pinned him, allowing Munkustrap to get up and go help the others. With the last four queens occupied by Demeter, Alonzo, Quaxo and Mistoffelees, he took the time to usher Delibub off the scene.

“ _ After them _ !” Macavity roared. Two of the queens managed to escape the fight and gave chase after Munkustrap and Delibub. They ran through the streets, hopping into a dumpster in an alleyway.

“Stay here and keep quiet.” Munkustrap whispered, touching his tail to Delibub’s mouth to shush her.

“Please don’t leave me…” she pleaded. Munkustrap gave her a sad smile.

“I must. I have to help the others.” He poked his head out of the dumpster to check if the coast was clear, then hopped out and headed back to the scene. When he returned, he found that the others had made quick work of Macavity’s queens, scaring them away, but Macavity was nowhere to be seen. “What happened?” Munkustrap inquired.

“He just vanished!” Quaxo exclaimed.

“Drat… Well… At least everyone is safe. Let’s fetch her and go home.” Munkustrap sighed. They went to the dumpster to retrieve Delibub and escorted her back to the junkyard.

***

Delibub sat on a large cardboard box while Munkustrap paced back and forth in front of her. She hadn’t spoken in a few minutes, afraid to rouse him from his thoughts in case it was important, but she became too uncomfortable in the silence to keep quiet any longer. “Are you… Okay?” she asked, getting his attention. He stopped pacing and turned to her, giving her a single nod.

“There are some things I must warn you about. Macavity is… Not the friendliest of cats.” he sighed. Delibub nodded.

“Quaxo told me as much. He was going to…  _ Eat _ me…” She shuddered at the thought of a cat  _ eating _ one of their own kind. “Why is he like this?”

“Well…” Munkustrap began, “You see… Macavity is… My brother. The eldest son of our leader, Old Deuteronomy. We were thick as thieves as kittens. The best of friends! But as we grew up… Macavity began to desire  _ power _ . But… Old Deuteronomy chose me to be his heir when he passes away. Macavity just… Didn’t have the same core values that a Jellicle should have.”

“What values are those?” Delibub asked.

“A Jellicle cat,” Munkustrap explained, “Must have a certain standard of respect for others as she would hold herself to. A Jellicle cat must be honest, faithful and true to others who  _ do _ as  _ Jellicles do _ . Macavity would lie and cheat for his own personal gain. Now, that’s expected when one is a kitten but is not the proper way for a fully grown tom to behave. Especially when one has a tribe looking to them for guidance as a leader would have. If Macavity was the standard of behaviour for future generations of Jellicles to come, the tribe would be a disaster. We wouldn’t be a  _ family _ .” Delibub nodded, listening intently. Her pupils dilated, looking at Munkustrap. There was something about him that was very… Regal… Dignified. He had wise eyes and a kind smile that was beginning to send her heart aflutter and her stomach twisting into knots.

“Well,” she spoke up, “I think you will be a fantastic leader one day.” She smiled, earning one back from Munkustrap. His smile faltered after a few seconds and he was serious once again.

  
“This is very important,” he said, walking a little bit closer to her, “If you hear a voice that seems to come from a dark spot, or seemingly from nowhere or all around you, don’t listen to it, Delibub. Don’t speak to it, don’t follow it. Run. Run and find me, or Alonzo. We are the tribe’s protectors, you can always trust  _ us _ . And if you see Macavity again. Do  _ not _ look into his eyes. I don’t know what I'd do if I lost a member of the tribe because of him…” He shook his head, then gave her a small smile. “Now, why don’t you get some rest? You’ve had a long night.” With that, he strode off to his den, leaving Delibub all alone in the moonlight.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day in Delibub’s Jellicle life had been uneventful. The next night, however, Quaxo awoke in the middle of his slumber to hear a soft knocking on the entrance of his den. He slunk out of his nest and made his way to the source of the knocking. It was Delibub, sitting out in the rain, with quite the pathetic expression on her face! Quaxo tilted his head, squinting his tired eyes. “Deli?” he questioned, “What are you doing out in the rain?” She hung her head a bit lower as she spoke.

“I’m afraid of thunderstorms…” she whispered, “Can I stay here with you until it passes?” Quaxo smiled.

“I’m always happy to have a friend come to visit.” he stepped aside to let her in. As she entered, she glanced around. His den was made inside of a fort he seemed to have made, using his telekinetic prowess, out of tires, with trash packed on top for insulation. It was large enough to live comfortably, and for two or three cats to seek shelter. In one corner was his nest, which he had made out of stuffing and fabric from a chair that had been thrown away, and in another corner was a pile of mice he had collected over the past few nights. “Would you like something to eat?” he asked, gesturing to the pile.

“Don’t you think they’re too adorable to eat?” Delibub looked at the mice with distaste.

“Well, when food is scarce I’ll take anything I can find.” Quaxo shrugged. “Have you ever tried them?” Delibub shook her head. “Well, if you ever end up not being able to catch any fish, you may just have to settle for mice or for rats. Now that you’re a stray, your life is going to change, Delibub. You can’t keep expecting to live with the same comforts and privileges that you had in your old home. We Jellicles appreciate whatever we can find. We don’t waste any food. We can’t afford to. If you aren’t hungry that’s fine, but you can’t be too picky about your meals if you want to survive.” Delibub nodded, listening to his lecture. She’d never heard Quaxo be so serious before, so she knew what he was telling her was very important to him. As she listened, her eyes grew heavy. Yawning, she laid down on the soft dirt of the den’s floor and closed her eyes. Being told the values of the Jellicles felt like when her past owners would tell their children bedtime stories, her laying at the foot of the little bed, listening intently to stories of princesses, and knights and dragons. She was slowly but surely putting together an answer to her question, ‘what is a Jellicle cat?’. Quaxo smiled. Instead of laying back down in his nest, he laid down with his head on Delibub’s side, snuggling close for warmth.

***

The next morning, Delibub awoke feeling happy and rested. She noticed that Quaxo was laying with his head over her hip and tapped him lightly. “Quaxo…” she said, gently.

“Mmf… Mm?” he began to stir.

“I have to get up…” she replied. Quaxo opened his eyes sleepily and looked up at her.

“Oh,” he yawned, “Good morning…” Delibub smiled.

“Sleepy kitten.” she sighed. Quaxo shot up.

“I’m not a kitten!” he said defensively, earning a giggle from Delibub.

“I’m only teasing you. Now. What’s on the… Jellicle agenda for today?” she asked. Quaxo raised an eyebrow, giving her a crooked smile.

“Jellicle agenda.” he repeated her.

“I don’t know how you lot talk!” she laughed, playfully slapping him on the shoulder.

“Well, we are preparing for the Jellicle ball, which is in a few day’s time.” he replied.

“Tell me about this Jellicle ball. I know you’ve explained it to me before, but I’d like to know more.”

“Well, as you’ve been told, we all come together for one night. It’s a joyous time when we celebrate life.” he explained.

“And you sing, and dance? How do Jellicles dance?” she tilted her head. Quaxo chuckled.  
“Why, however we want! There are no rules to self-expression! The Jellicle tribe is a place where you can truly be yourself! And at the Jellicle ball, you can show everyone who you are! Sing the song of yourself, tell your story. For that night, anyone can take the floor! And we tell the stories of cats who lived long ago, like the Rumpus Cat, or Growltiger!”

“Growltiger? Rumpus Cat?” Delibub gave him a look of confusion.

“I suppose you’ll have to wait and see!” he gave her a little wink.

“And who is Old Deuteronomy?” she asked.

“Old Deuteronomy is the oldest cat of all of us. Stories tell of a cat who has lived ninety-nine lives, and buried ninety-nine wives!”

“Oh…” she hung her head, “How sad… This Old Deuteronomy must be very wise, having been around so long. And he chooses which cat gets to be reborn? How does he choose?”

“Usually it’s a cat who is old, or who has had a hard life, who want to start over. Then, the next time a litter is born into the tribe, one of those kittens is the reincarnation of the last Jellicle choice.”

“What about a cat who is young, but has been dealt bad cards? Hypothetically.” she asked.

“Well, I suppose they could be chosen. But if they are young, Old Deuteronomy may see potential for them to live a great life despite their past. Why do you ask?” Quaxo looked at her quizzically.

“No reason…” Delibub replied, thoughtfully.

***

Once she left Quaxo’s den, Delibub went out in search of Munkustrap. She didn’t find him, but she stumbled across somebody else instead. “Hi! Tugger, right?” she inquired, approaching the Maine Coon, who was lounging on a tire. He opened one eye.

“That’s my name, honey,” he stated, sitting up, “Don’t wear it out.” He gave her a flirtatious smirk. “Tell me, Delibub. Where does a rare beauty, such as yourself, come from.”

“Oh, stop it… I bet you say that to all the mollies…” She giggled, batting her eyes coquettishly (A molly being a female cat who is fixed, also called a jenny).

“You know it.” he stood up and sidled up closer to her. “So? Where do you come from?”

“I… Was abandoned by my humans… We lived in a mansion in the countryside,” she replied, shyly, “I don’t really feel comfortable discussing it… I’m just looking for Munkustrap.” Tugger gave her a sympathetic look.

“Forgive me,” he pleaded, “I am known for being a very curious cat.”

“Certainly. I suppose there’s no doing anything about that.” she giggled at her little rhyme.

“But yes, Munkustrap. He should be here come sundown. He doesn’t like to worry his family by disappearing during the day. Our humans, however. Well, they don’t mind us being gone.”

“Us?” she inquired, “Who is us? You and…”

“My good buddy Mr. Mistoffelees!” Tugger grinned. There was something in that smile that told Delibub that Mr. Mistoffelees was more than just a buddy.

“Oh! Quaxo’s brother, right?” she smiled. She had been excited to meet this mystery cat.

“That’s me!” said a voice from behind her. She shrieked and whipped around, startled. Standing there was a cat who bore a striking resemblance to Quaxo. Nearly, identical, actually, save for Quaxo having white on his paws and the tip of his tail. Mistoffelees was also taller than Quaxo. “How do you do?” he asked.

“Very well, thank you,” Delibub replied, “I’ve heard so much about you, from your brother! It’s nice to finally meet you!”

“I don’t believe I’ve seen you before. You must be new. What is your name?”

“Delibub!” she introduced. Mistoffelees came closer and sniffed at her before touching his nose to hers.

“Will you be staying with us permanently, or are you just passing through? You simply must stay for the ball!” he grinned.

“I have nowhere else to go, so I’ve already settled in,” she stated, “I quite like it here. It’s… Different than my old home… But everyone here is so kind and accepting. It’s no wonder so many cats choose to live here. You’re all like a big family!”

“Well,” Mistoffeleed smiled kindly, “I’m glad you’re going to be a part of it now.” He looked to Tugger. “Hello Tugger, how are you this morning?”

“Oh, just grand… Tugger slinked closer to Mistoffelees, his tail standing straight. “Now that you’re here… Friend…” he added, looking down shyly for a moment. Mistoffelees’ tail twitched a little bit and his pupils dilated. Delibub rolled her eyes, smiling at Tugger’s antics and left them to their business. She had heard strange noises coming from another area of the yard. Like, rustling, and whispering and giggling. She went to investigate. Her search took her to a pram, where two calico looking cats were sitting with a sack, sorting through some very interesting treasures.

“Ooh, this will make a nice new collar.” said the female cat with an Irish accent, pulling out a diamond-studded watch and placing it around her neck. Delibub’s pupils dilated, seeing the expensive-looking item and the pretty cat wearing it.

“We really hit the jackpot big time on this one, Teazer!” laughed the tom with a thick cockney accent. Delibub crawled, closer, not watching where she was stepping. Suddenly, she tripped over her paw and fell face-first into the pram, right in between the two. The pretty calico queen’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as she fell backwards. Delibub picked herself up and brushed herself off.

“Oh, sorry, sorry, I’m so sorry! I just, I heard noises, and I tripped!” she said quickly. The pretty calico gave her a sly smile.

“Don’ worry about it.” she sat up, fixing the placement of the watch. “What’s your name?”

“Delibub.” Delibub smiled.

“Nice ta meetcha, Delibub. I’m Rumpleteazer, an’ this is my mate Mungojerrie!” Rumpleteazer gestured to the other cat. Delibub’s grin grew wider.

“Oh, you’re mates? How sweet!” she gushed. Rumpleteazer looked like she could vomit.

“Oh, not like that, no!” she denied, “D’you hear this chick, Jerrie?” Laughing, Mungojerrie slapped Delibub on the back.

“We ain’t mate mates. We’re partners. Partners in crime. Cat burglars. You ‘ave to ‘ave ‘eard of us! We’re quite the notorious couple ‘a cats!” he grinned proudly. Delibub shook her head.

“Nope. I’ve never lived in the city before now.”

“Really,” Rumpleteazer replied, shocked, “A pretty, well-groomed queen like you, I’d have taken you for a city cat any day.” If a cat could blush, Delibub would be bright red, and not just because her fur is bright red. She giggled.

“Where did you get all of this stuff?” she asked.

“Odd jobs. Unattended purses, houses with windows open.” Mungojerrie leaned back in the pram. “Like taking candy from a baby.”

“But stealing is wrong,” Delibub replied, “Don’t you feel bad?”

“Nah.” Rumpleteazer flicked her tail idly. “A few little things won’t be missed. Besides.” She leaned close to Delibub’s face. Delibub sniffed her a little bit. “We like to live dangerously.” Rumpleteazer winked, then pressed her nose to Delibub’s in greeting. Delibub looked into the bag.

“I used to have these nice things too… I miss them a little, though I love it here.” she sighed.

“Ah, take one. We don’ know what it’s like to lose your home, but one ‘a these days our owners are gonna get tired of our shit and throw us out.” Rumpleteazer smirked. Delibub shook her head.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t. These are your treasures. If I want to be a proper Jellicle, I have to fully embrace my life here. The past is the past.” She hopped up out of the pram, looking back at the two. “It was very nice meeting you.” And with a wave of her tail, she was off.

***

For the rest of the day after she left Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, the beautiful calico who left her head spinning and her stomach turning, Delibub lounged around the junkyard and made herself acquainted with some more of the Jellicles. As night began to fall, she spied Munkustrap making his rounds, patrolling the perimeter of the yard before he entered, sauntering over to Alonzo to chit chat. Delibub took her moment and made her way toward them with a purpose in her stride. “Munkustrap, I must speak with you about something important.” she said. Munkustrap turned to her and smiled.

“Of course! What is it, Delibub?” he inquired.

“Please excuse us, Alonzo.” Delibub bowed her head. Alonzo nodded to her and she led Munkustrap to another area of the yard. “I would like, if you please,” she began, “For you to be my mentor.”

“Your mentor.” Munkusrap repeated quizzically. Delibub nodded.

“I want to learn how to be a proper Jellicle cat. Please, teach me all you know. I want to be your student, Munkustrap.” she all but begged. Munkustrap looked taken aback.

“Delibub… I’m flattered,” he replied, earning a smile from Delibub, “But you have to find your own way. We have already all accepted you. The upcoming Jellicle ball can be thought of as an… Initiation of sorts. One doesn’t learn to be a Jellicle. One just… Is. And as the protector of the tribe, I also have a duty to everyone else to protect them and their families. Taking on a student would leave me with very little leisure time outside of patrolling the yard. I’m sorry,” he sighed, “I can’t be your mentor. But… I can be your friend.” He gave her a small smile, putting his paw on top of hers. He did make good points. Delibub supposed she just had to accept it. She nodded.

“Thank you,” she said, looking at him solemnly, “For taking me in.” Munkustrap didn’t speak, but smiled, with a glimmer in his eye. He turned his head and looked up at the sky.

“The stars sure are beautiful tonight. Don’t you think, Delibub?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter has a mild depiction and description of graphic imagery right at the end. I just thought it would be good to make this note in case anyone has trouble with that. It begins after Munkustrap and Delibub hear a scream.

The next few days preparations for the Jellicle ball had been going smoothly. Delibub helped out where she could, like decorating with various items found in the yard. Now on the day of the ball, she was helping Jennyanydots with her mice and her cockroaches, getting them ready for their performance. “How do the cats know which mice are yours and which mice they can hunt?” she asked.

“A little bow on each of their tails.” Jenny replied, smiling as one of the mice wiggled his tail to show Delibub the bow.

“You’re so cute… I almost feel bad for eating you…” Delibub cooed at a mouse with a little yellow bow. The mouse let out a scared squeak. Delibub gasped. “Oh, no, not you specifically, just mice in general. You need to survive too, so I hope you understand.” The mouse looked at her for a moment and then scurried over to Jenny.

“We don’t talk about eating mice around the mice.” Jenny whispered, trying to calm down the little thing.

“Oh! Sorry… I’m still learning.” Delibub said sheepishly.  
  
“That’s quite alright, dear. The mice know you aren’t going to hurt them.” Jenny smiled, tightening the bow on another mouse’s tail. “Alright, little ones! From the top!” Delibub watched as the mice performed a little song and dance. They were quiet creatures who opted to squeak as opposed to talking, but Delibub learned quickly that boy, they could sing! When they had finished she waved her tail and clapped her paws on the ground. She sat down, rubbing her paws together.

“That was just  _ splendid! _ ” she cheered, a smile plastered across her face.

“Thank you, my dear!” Jenny replied humbly, “We really did work very hard!”

“And it shows! So! What’s next on the agenda?” Delibub asked. Jenny laughed, stretching her old frame.

“ _ I  _ am going to go have a rest,” she said, sauntering off to a comfortable looking tire, “But the toms might need help preparing Old Deuteronomy’s resting place.” she added, seeing Tugger, Mistoffelees and Quaxo arriving. She gestured to them with her tail. Delibub nodded, scurrying over to them.

“Delibub, the helpful cat, at your service, sirs!” She gave a playful salute to them, earning a round of laughter, then grateful smiles. “I want to help prepare for Old Deuteronomy. If I’m a part of his tribe, I might as well help make him comfortable, shouldn’t I?”

“That’d be great! We were just about to split up and search for soft and cozy things!” Quaxo said enthusiastically, “You can come with me, Delibub!” He took her and left Tugger and Mistoffelees to search together.

***

“So,” Delibub began to say as she and Quaxo searched a trash pile for things for Old Deuteronomy to rest on, “What do I do when I meet Old Deuteronomy? Is there a proper way to greet him?”

“Well…” Quaxo thought for a moment. “I suppose just bow or curtsy. Don’t sniff him until he sniffs you first, to get a feel for if you can be trusted. He’ll want to take you up to his resting place to speak with you, as he does for all of the newcomers to the tribe.”

“What do I do if… He chooses me?” she whispered. This stopped Quaxo in his tracks.

“ _ Chooses  _ you?” he repeated. Delibub nodded. “To go to the Heaviside Layer?” Delibub nodded and Quaxo began to laugh.

“Don’t laugh! It isn’t funny!” Delibub protested.

“Oh, Delibub,” Quaxo could hardly contain himself, “Don’t worry, you won’t be chosen! You’re so young!” Delibub hung her head. Quaxo slowly began to calm down as he noticed this. “Delibub?”

“I  _ could _ be chosen… Right? The Jellicle ball is a chance for cats to tell their story, and show why they want to be reborn, right? I could tell mine…” Delibub mumbled. It pained Quaxo to suddenly see her so sad.

“Delibub… Why do  _ you _ , of all cats, want to be reborn?” he asked, “You’re young, and beautiful, and you have such a full life ahead of you!”

“I want to be reborn as a Jellicle… A stray! Not declawed or… Or spayed…” Delibub shook her head. “I want, so badly, to be a mother, Quaxo… But I can’t have kittens of my own in this life… And when the topic of rebirth came up, I thought… Maybe in another?” Quaxo sighed, listening to her. He didn’t know what to say, so he just nuzzled her cheek with his and let her have a moment.

“Delibub…” he sighed, “There are so many more ways to find happiness in your life than having kittens. You don’t need to be a mom to be happy. Jennyanydots never mated, but she cares for her mice like they’re her own children. And you have us, your friends. It would be so sad if your first Jellicle ball was your  _ last _ Jellicle ball. Aren’t there other things that make you happy?”

“Well… You make me happy.” Delibub nodded. “Helping Jenny with her mice… Munkustrap…” She looked at her feet when she said that last thing. A smile slowly crept onto Quaxo’s face.

“Delibub… Do you  _ like  _ Munkustrap?” he asked hopefully. She buried her face in her paws, trying to hide her dilating pupils. Her tail twitched a little bit. “You  _ do _ !  _ See _ ?  _ That’s  _ your happiness right there! And you should know… Munkustrap hasn’t been able to find the time to mate.” He gave her a wink.

“I mean, I’ve only just met him…” she sighed.

“Will you  _ love _ birds hurry up?” asked a voice from above them. They looked up to see Tugger standing on a tall pile of trash. He appeared to be struggling to keep his footing, but he was keeping his cool. “Father will be arriving soon.” Delibub and Quaxo looked to see the sun slowly setting over the London skyline. Embarrassed, Delibub kneaded at the dirt, a little habit she’d picked up from Quaxo. She wondered if he’d heard their conversation. What he’d think of her if he had… She sighed, deciding not to dwell on it. If he had, there was nothing she could do about it now. Best to just move on and continue preparing Old Deuteronmy’s nest.

Once they had finished the nest was when Munkustrap began to arrive at the junkyard, performing a quick patrol of the perimeter with Alonzo before entering, crossing the yard to where Old Deuteronomy’s nest sat to inspect it. He took a close look, tempted to sit and test it, but opting against it. This nest wasn’t  _ for _ him. He gave a polite nod to Quaxo, Mistoffelees, Tugger and Delibub, then a friendly smile. “It’s perfect. Did you help, Delibub?” he asked. She nodded proudly. “Well done. Father will be very pleased.” Quaxo nudged Delibub forward. She bowed her head a little to Munkustrap, in respect. In response, Munkustrap lifted her chin up and shook his head. “I’m not Old Deuteronomy. Treat me like a friend.” He smiled. She nodded, looking back at Quaxo. He gave her an encouraging look and she turned back to Munkustrap and mustered up some courage.

“Before the arrival… Do you have time for a… Little moonlight walk?” she asked. Munkustrap nodded and walked along with her, waving his tail at the others as a goodbye.

***

“Tell me. How are you enjoying your time here with us?” Munkustrap asked, swaying his tail gently in the cool salty air. He and Delibub had gone for a walk at the docks. The air was cool and clean down there. Delibub took a deep breath, taking in the nice smells. It smelled like fish.

“I really like it in the junkyard,” she replied, “It will take me some time to get fully used to being a stray, but I’m getting there. Quaxo taught me a way to hunt without claws! Actually,” She began to make her way closer to the water. “I wonder…” She stared into the dark water, took a breath, then stuck her head in. She came back up with nothing, but suddenly, her foot slipped and she went tumbling off the dock into the water!

“Delibub!” Munkustrap exclaimed, rushing to the edge of the dock. Luckily it was a shallow area and Delibub managed to paddle her way to the shore, dropping to the ground, exhausted. She was covered head to toe in muck and grime from the dark, murky water. She laughed, shaking herself off as Munkustrap ducked to avoid being splashed. “Why did you do that?” he asked.

“That’s how Quaxo taught me! I suppose the docks aren’t the best place to hunt, though…” she sighed, licking at her paw. She wanted to get clean again before Old Deuteronomy arrived. Then she remembered the clean water of the pond in the park. “Come on! I have to be presentable for Old Deuteronomy!” She began to rush in the direction of the park, Munkustrap following quickly behind.

They arrived at the park and Delibub quickly scurried to the pond and jumped into a shallow area, rolling around in the clear, clean water and scaring some fish that had been swimming around the area. Munkustrap watched her with amusement. “I don’t think I’ve met a cat who likes water this much.” He smirked.

“My owners would always take me to a groomer and they would give me the nicest baths… The tub was warmer than this, but this is refreshing…” she sighed as the muck and grime washed away. “Do you like water?” He nodded.

“I do! Though I’m not as enthusiastic as you are,” he responded, “My humans don’t bathe me. Most cats bathe themselves by licking.”

“That just seems… Tedious… And quite gross, if I may be honest. All that hair coming off onto your tongue can’t be pleasant.” She shook herself off and got out of the water. “Say… Is it customary to bring Old Deuteronomy a gift?”

“Well, not normally. Why?” Munkustrap asked, tilting his head as Delibub faced the pond, stuck her head in the water, and came back up with a flopping fish in her mouth. She spit it out.

“Would it be appreciated?” she inquired. Munkustrap smiled kindly.

“Old Deuteronomy would appreciate anything you brought him. Now, let’s head back. I’m sure he will be arriving soon.” He pointed his tail in the direction of the junkyard. As they walked, he made some conversation. “Are you from the city?”

“No. My owners had a mansion in the country. We were far from any neighbours. But when their children went for playdates with friends in the city, they would bring me along. It wasn’t very fun. The cats of their rich friends would judge me. Over the fact that I was declawed, that I couldn’t reproduce, things like that.” Delibub explained.

“Really!” Munkustrap was shocked. “I thought it was normal for cat owners to spay and neuter their cats.”

“It is. But these people would breed their cats and then sell the kittens off to other homes,” Delibub sighed, “I can’t imagine carrying a child for nine weeks and then having it taken from me like that… It makes it seem like being fixed was a  _ blessing _ , though I still wish I could have kittens of my own… Children would be the  _ real _ blessing...” Munkustrap nodded thoughtfully.

“I hadn’t thought of it like that before… You are wise beyond your years, Delibub. A true old soul.” He smiled. As they arrived back at the junkyard, they heard bloodcurdling screams coming from the west side. “That sounds like Jenny!” Munkustrap exclaimed, beginning to run headlong toward the sound.

Munkustrap arrived at the source of the scream to hear Jenny hysterically wailing with a sound that dripped with a mixture of grief and anger. He peered over her shoulder to see her cradling a little mouse in her paws. The little ribbon on its tail that used to be white was now splattered with a deep red pigment. There was a large rip down the middle of the belly where the mouse had been hollowed out. Munkustrap pressed a paw to his mouth in shock. He knew how much Jenny’s mice meant to her. Sitting down next to her, he put a paw on her shoulder, causing her to jump with a start. The shock of suddenly being touched only added to her emotions, causing her to sob even harder, as if a dam had broken inside of her and his paw was the final force that did it, burying her face in Munkustrap’s neck. He just patted her back, letting her emotions flow out of her. Delibub began to approach and Munkustrap held his tail to his mouth, signalling for her to shush. Jenny didn’t need any more stimuli right now. Delibub got the message. She nodded and just peered around to see the mouse. She bowed her head in respect and just quietly backed away, giving Munkustrap some alone time with his friend. For a long time, Jenny sobbed, matting Munkustrap’s fur with her tears until she had tired and no sound would come out. “It’s okay… It’s okay… I’m here…” Munkustrap said soothingly, “Try and match my breathing. That always helps calm me down.” They stayed there for a few minutes more, in silence. All that could be heard in the night was the sound of their breathing.


	7. Chapter 7

Munkustrap, Delibub, Jenny, Alonzo, Quaxo and Mistoffelees sat in a circle around a little grave that Mistoffelees had dug. Inside of it laid the small grey mouse who had been murdered. Jenny sat with Munk, covering her face with her paws as she couldn’t bear to look. She had calmed down, but wasn’t speaking to anyone. By her side, sat her other mice. “Who could have  _ done _ something like this?” Delibub asked in disbelief.

“All I know is it can’t have been a Jellicle,” Munkustrap commented, “We all know the difference between Jenny’s mice and food, right?” He looked to Delibub at that last part.

“It wasn’t me! I know not to hunt mice with bows on their tails! I’d never, never…” she sighed. Munkustrap nodded.

“Right. I’m sorry. It’s just puzzling… What kind of cat would kill a mouse and just leave it? If it wasn’t for food, what purpose is there to taking a life?” He looked around at the others for answers. Mistoffelees, who had been staring off in thought for quite some time now, finally spoke.

“Macavity…” His voice was soft, but confident. The others all turned to him.

“But Macavity is a street cat. He, of all cats, should appreciate  _ any  _ opportunity to eat.” Quaxo said, puzzled

“Macavity has his ways. He isn’t concerned about a little mouse when he has his tricks. He sets his sights on um…  _ Bigger  _ targets…” Mistoffelees replied. Delibub swallowed a lump in her throat, understanding Mistoffelees completely. She recalled her first encounter with Macavity, when he had intended to kill and eat her. “He isn’t hunting for  _ food _ . He’s sending us a sign. He is going to show up at the ball tonight. I… I can  _ feel  _ his presence, all around us…”

“Mistoffelees, are you sure?” Munkustrap asked worriedly. Mistoffelees nodded. “We have to cancel the ball.” Munkustrap decided, being met with gasps from the rest of them. “I won’t allow my father to be put in danger again. We were lucky to get him back after the last time Macavity attacked. I will go to the vicarage and tell him of this new discovery. The rest of you, alert the rest of the cats. I won’t be long.” He began to scurry off. Delibub ran alongside him.

“I’d like to come with you!” she requested, “If I can’t experience a ball this year, I’d like to at least meet our leader.” Munkustrap smiled.

“I’d like some company, thank you Delibub.” Delibub grabbed the fish she’d brought for Old Deuteronomy and they were off to tell him the news.

***

When they arrived at the vicarage, Munk and Delibub hopped up onto the wall that separated the street from the building. In the side yard, there was a little doghouse that had been built the perfect size for a cat to live in comfortably. Delibub followed Munkustrap off the wall and over to the house where Old Deuteronomy was sitting on the roof, watching the moon slowly rise. As he saw them approaching, he paid special attention to Delibub, watching her every move. Munkustrap stopped in front of the house and bowed his head to his father. Old Deuteronomy smiled. “Hello, my son. Come. Come inside and introduce me to your friend here.” He hopped off the house and shambled inside, followed by Munkustrap and Delibub. “What brings you here?” he asked, laying down, “I was just about to leave for the ball.”

“That’s what we’ve come to speak with you about,” Munkustrap replied, “I’m afraid we’ve had to cancel the ball. I’d advise you to stay away from the yard. We’ve reason to believe Macavity is plotting something… I don’t want you putting yourself in danger after what happened two years back…” Old Deuteronomy nodded.

“Yes… I think that is a good idea. Thank you for warning me.” He looked at Delibub curiously. She straightened up her posture, wanting to be presentable. He had an odd look in his eye. Almost… Concern… It was as if he was looking straight into her soul. “Now, who might you be?” he asked. Delibub sat the fish, which she had brought for him, down.

“My name is Delibub…” She bowed her head, pushing the fish toward him with her paw. “I’ve brought you this… Please accept it as my thanks for allowing me into the tribe.” Old Deuteronomy looked down at the fish, then smiled at her.

“That is very kind of you. I have to say, it is quite a surprise to meet you. It is not often we have new cats join the tribe!” He looked to Munkustrap. “May I have a moment alone with Delibub, please? Then, my son, we will share this delicious looking fish that Delibub kindly brought for me!” Munkustrap nodded, backing out of the den and going to a distance that was out of earshot of his father and his friend. Old Deuteronomy turned to Delibub and put a paw on hers. “You’ve faced many hardships, haven’t you, my dear?” Delibub looked at him in shock.

“Why, yes! How did you know?” she asked.

“Old intuition.” He patted her shoulder. “How did you come to be with the tribe?”

“Munkustrap brought me to the junkyard after saving me from three alley cats. I had been hunting in their territory, I suppose. It was so kind of him to let me stay. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay him for saving my life,” she sighed, “I’ve learned so much from him.”

“Ah, yes… My son has grown up to be very kind…” Old Deuteronomy mused happily. But when he looked Delibub in the eye, he noticed something… Odd. “Delibub… You haven’t… Had any run-ins with Macavity, have you?” he asked, concerned.

“I have… I was out hunting one night and he managed to lure me back to his hideout… He would have killed me if it weren’t for my friends… I’m lucky to be alive!” She pawed at the ground. Old Deuteronomy looked down to see that she had no claws. He tenderly put a paw over hers.

“Did Macavity use his powers on you?” he inquired.

“I… I’m not… Sure… Everything happened so fast…”

“Did you look him in the eyes?” he asked, with more urgency this time.

“I… Yes, I did. I couldn’t help it, they were… Captivating…” she sighed, feeling almost dazed. Old Deuteronomy leaned out of the doghouse and beckoned Munkustrap closer. Munkustrap came and joined them again.

“Delibub, listen to me. Macavity has left his mark on you. I don’t know why, but he has.” Old Deuteronomy said.

“Left his mark on me? What do you mean?” Delibub asked.

“You’ve been touched by his magic. It means you and he are linked. Maybe your minds, maybe your souls. But whatever way he has a hold on you, he may be able to peer in at the tribe through your eyes. You must be careful, and be vigilant. It is near impossible to know when he will strike, but this puts the safety of the tribe at risk.” Old Deuteronomy explained. As this was going on, Munkustrap’s mind was racing a mile a minute. What did this mean for the future? Was it safe to hold the Jellicle ball at  _ all _ anymore? He couldn’t have his father anywhere  _ near _ Macavity.

“I… I’m… Tired. I think I want to go home.” was all Delibub said. She was scared, and so, so very tired from all of this information being thrown her way. She was silent on the walk home, and only gave Munkustrap a silent goodbye by nuzzling his cheek with hers before retiring to her den. That night, she slept fitfully, if at all. In the time she spent awake, she had made a very difficult but important decision.

***

Delibub awoke the next morning to the sound of quiet discussion. She poked her head out of her den to see Munkustrap, Mistoffelees, Quaxo and Alonzo. She stretched and sighed, “Good morning everyone.” The three quickly turned to her. Munkustrap smiled.

“How did you sleep?” he asked.

“Not well. I… Have something important I have to tell you.”

“Yes? What is it?” He tilted his head curiously. Delibub fidgeted for a moment before finally speaking.

“I’m leaving the tribe.” she admitted.

“What?  _ Why _ ? I thought… Do you not like it here?” Munkustrap gapsed.

“I do. You’re all very kind and welcoming. But… But now that I know how to survive on the streets, I want to do it on my own.” That last part was a complete lie. She didn’t want to be alone. She wanted nothing more than to stay and be a part of this big, loving family she had found. But if Macavity could use her in  _ any _ way to harm the Jellicles, she wanted to be as far away from them as felinely possible. “Thank you, Munkustrap, for saving my life. I can’t ever repay you enough.” She bowed her head to him, then went to Alonzo, Quaxo, and Mistoffelees and gave them each a goodbye nuzzle. As she walked away, Quaxo watched her helplessly, before taking off running after her.

“Delibub, please don’t go!” he begged, trotting along beside her. She turned to him.

“Quaxo… I have to go my own way. Please understand.” she sighed.

“But  _ why _ ?” he asked. It pained her to have to lie to him.

“Because I want independence. I don’t want to rely on others my whole life. If I want to be stronger, I have to learn to fight for  _ myself _ .” And with that, she picked up speed and scampered out of the junkyard, leaving Quaxo in the dust. Quaxo sat down and watched her go.

“Delibub!” he called after her, letting a few tears escape his eyes, “... Please stay… You’re my best friend…”

***

Delibub ran and ran until she couldn’t see the junkyard behind her and her paws ached. She collapsed against a dumpster, hungry, having not had her breakfast yet. She caught her breath, then sniffed around the dumpster. The lid was closed, so she couldn’t check inside. “I suppose this is some other cat’s territory, too…” she said to herself, hanging her head. In that moment, it hit her. She was all alone. Nobody to talk to, hunt with, share a meal with… Nobody to comfort her during those long, dark, lonely nights. Nowhere to take shelter from the rain, and snow… Thunderstorms… Nobody to protect her from Macavity… It all hit her at once. Her emotions came flooding out of her like a waterfall, and she just began to sob, letting her tears mat her already knotted cheek fur. Just then, she felt a tap on her head, looking up to see a black cat with messy black fur and green eyes staring back at her. The eyes blinked twice, then the cat held a french fry down to Deliub in her teeth.

“You look hungry,” she said once Delibub took the fry. Delibub ate it gratefully. She winced at the taste. It was salty and unpleasant, but she was so, so very hungry.

“Do you have any more?” she asked.

“Ah, sorry, Little Red. I’m clean outta fries. I got a chicken sandwich though. Want that?” the black cat offered. Delibub heard the little nickname and cringed. That was what Macavity had called her.

“Please don’t call me that…” she requested. The black cat could see the pain behind the words and sighed.

“Well then. I guess I’ll have to come up with another nickname for ya. Unless you care to tell me your actual name.” she laughed.

“... My name is Delibub.” Delibub introduced.

“I think I’ll call you… Robin. Cause you’re red!” the black cat said enthusiastically. Delibub raised an eyebrow. This cat was quite funny. “I’m Embry.” Embry held out a paw. Delibub touched her paw in greeting.

“How do you do, Embry?” she asked. Embry gave her a crooked smile.

“I do… Good! How do you?” she replied stiffly, amused by the queen’s formal way of speaking. Delibub giggled a little bit.

“You’re funny.” she sniffed, wiping her tears.

“What a coincidence. I think I’m funny too!” Embry stuck her tongue out playfully. “You all alone?” Delibub nodded. “I’m alone too. Wanna be alone together?” Embry asked. Delibub thought for a moment. This cat wasn’t a Jellicle. She figured Macavity would have no quarrel with Embry. She nodded.

“I’d like that very much.” She smiled, hopping up onto the dumpster with Embry. Things might just be okay after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Embry belongs to a dear friend of mine. Here is her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micorgsoft/


	8. Chapter 8

“What are we going to do about Delibub?” Mistoffelees asked Munkustrap who was comforting a crying Quaxo.

“We can’t  _ force _ her to stay. We just have to hope she decides on her own to come back.” Munkustrap sighed, rubbing Quaxo’s back.

“But what about removing Macavity’s mark?” Mistoffelees inquired, “With it still on her, he will be able to track her down.”

“He has no reason to. It’s us he has a quarrel with. She should be fine…” Munkustrap was more trying to convince himself of that fact than anyone else. “I hope…”

***

“So,” Embry began to ask. She had an Irish accent that was very nice to listen to. “Where are ya from?” It was the next day and they were lounging on top of a parked car in the sun, one of Delibub’s favourite things to do. It reminded her of her time in the junkyard.

“I used to live in the country, then I was abandoned. Some nice cats took me in and gave me a home with them. But I left. For… Independence…” That last bit was a lie.

“Ah, who needs  _ owners _ or a home?  _ I _ , for one, quite enjoy bouncing from place to place.” Embry smirked.

“Really? No familiar place to come back to at the end of a long day? A warm den? A family? Hunting territory with a steady flow of food?” Delibub asked.

“Oh, I’ve got a steady flow of food alright,” Embry replied, “And of course I’ve got a family. Not a blood family, mind you, but a family all the same.”

“Oh?” Delibub tilted her head. “I’d love to meet them!”

“Of course! And hey.” Embry nudged her. “Feels good, having another  _ ladyyy _ hangin’ around,” she said, making Delibub giggle, “Kidding, kidding. But really. I’m sure they’d love to meet you too! Say, why don’t we get some grub and I’ll take you to meet my favourite little princess?” Embry suggested. Delibub nodded and off they went.

They found themselves at the back entrance of a  _ very _ fancy looking restaurant, similar to the one Deli had gotten herself thrown out of at the beginning of her whole journey on the streets. “Tell me, dear little Robin. What is it you fancy today?” The way Embry said “dear little” sounded sort of like “Jellicle” and Delibub felt a pang of sadness for a moment before snapping out of it. She thought for a moment.

“Uhm… Fish!” she replied enthusiastically.

“Well, then,” Embry said, as she hopped up onto a dumpster with an open lid, “Let me be your ma î tre d’!” And with that, she dove in and rooted through. A minute later, various food items were sent flying out of the dumpster and Delibub had to frantically dodge the falling fish, half-eaten cookies and various cuts of meat. She curiously pawed at a chocolate chip cookie.

“What are these?” she asked. As spoiled as she was in her old home, her owners fed her right and didn’t let her have chocolate.

“Cookies! Perks of bein’ a street cat. No pesky meal plans or kibble.” Embry stuck her tongue out. “Blech…” Delibub tilted her head.

“Kibble?” she inquired.

“Are you telling me your owners cooked you full-on human meals?” Embry gave her a look of disbelief. Delibub nodded. “Wow, Robin, you really were spoiled. Reminds me of my buddy, Pearl. Housecat,  _ reeeally  _ posh. Real pretty, too.” Embry grinned. “Oh, if only she were into queens.” She finished that note with a laugh. “I’m only codding ya, though. Pearl and I are way too different to be anything more than friends. She chews my ear off if I so much as get her dirty!” She eyed Delibub up and down. “How long you been on the streets for?”

“A week I think?” Delibub guessed.

“Wow, already getting a scruffy coat!” Embry cheered. Delibub shrank back, a little insecure, and got ready to groom herself. “No no no it’s a good thing! Sends a message to other cats.”

“What message is that?” she asked.

“It says, ‘hey! Don’t mess with me or my red and yellow friend here!’” Embry linked her arm with Delibub’s and flashed a fanged grin. “You’re with me now, kid. Ain’t no one gonna give you trouble.” Delibub smiled warmly at her and then leant down to eat their meal.

***

After they had finished eating, Embry and Delibub headed off to see Pearl. “So, how do you enjoy my version of  _ fine dining _ ?” Embry asked.

“The food from that restaurant tasted like home… I mean… My first home.” Delibub said firmly. She couldn’t start missing the junkyard now. Not after she had finally begun to survive without it. Embry looked at her with concern. She could tell there was a sadness in Delibub, but she couldn’t pin down just what it was, so she shrugged and kept walking. Soon they arrived at a  _ very _ large house. Delibub sat outside for a moment, taking it all in. It reminded her of her first home. Embry tapped her on the shoulder with her tail.

“Hey… You okay?”

“I… Yes! I’ve just… Never seen a house so  _ big _ !” Delibub lied, “So, what do we do?”

“ _ You _ just follow me.” Embry smiled, leading Embry over to a tall tree and quickly clambering up the trunk, stopping on a branch that reached the lower roof of the house. She looked down at Delibub. “What’re you waiting for?” she called down. Delibub looked up at the tall tree, then down at her clawless paws. She was about to admit defeat to Embry before realizing something. If she couldn’t learn to do the same things  _ without _ claws that Embry could do  _ with _ claws, she wouldn’t stand a chance at keeping up. She glanced around at what she could use to get up to Embry’s level. There were some trash cans around the side of the house next to the tree. She also noticed that the trash cans gave reach to a branch lower on the tree. Quickly she hopped up onto the cans and then leapt onto the branch. When she landed, however, her foot slipped and she nearly fell, only just managing to catch herself. With some effort, she pulled herself up onto the branch and surveyed the area for any way to reach Embry’s branch. There it was, A window. She took a deep breath, stepped back a little to get a running start, and sprung off the branch and landed on the windowsill of the high open window and quickly before she was seen, she jumped the rest of the way onto the branch upon which Embry sat. Embry looked at her in bewilderment. “What was  _ that _ , Robin!?” Delibub held up a paw and wiggled her toes to show that she had no claws. Embry seemed to understand, as she just nodded, a little sadly at that, then smiled, patting her friend on the back. “Well, good job! Now, let’s get a move on!” Following Embry’s lead, Delibub hopped onto the roof of the house and approached a window. Embry tapped on it with her claws, hoping to receive a quick answer. Nothing. She tapped again. Nothing. After one more try with no response, she tried pushing the window open. Once she had managed it, she called inside. “Oh,  _ Peeearl _ !” Even her call was met with nothing. “Huh. Must be  _ that time again _ .” She said ‘that time again’ like it was a phrase she was very familiar with and said a lot.

“ _ That time _ ?” Delibub asked. Embry sighed.

“The time of the year when Pearl’s owners try to mate her with the cats of their stuffy  _ rich _ friends to sell the kittens off.” she explained. Delibub put a paw to her mouth.

“Oh, that’s  _ awful _ !” she gasped. As much as she wanted kittens, she couldn’t imagine being  _ forced _ to have them. And on top of that, having them taken  _ away _ .

“Yeah. So our friend, Ari, hides her during this time. Who  _ knows _ where they are  _ now _ . I guess it’s just you and me, Robin! What are ya in the mood for? More food? Some smash and grab? Scoping out some hot queens?” Embry wiggled her eyebrows, “Or toms, whatever you’re into.” she added.

“ _ Definitely  _ both,” Delibub laughed, then cocked her head, “Smash and grab?”

“Yeah!” Embry replied, “A job, a heist, a cat burglary!” Delibub frowned.

“You steal things from people?” she asked.

“Only little things that won’t be missed! Much…” Embry clarified, “Plus. I don’t steal from the misfortunate. I set my sights on the rich! Heck, just call me Robin Hood! Steal from the rich, give to the strays!”

“I suppose that makes me Little John?” Delibub suggested.

“You’re too pretty and gentle,” Embry remarked, “Let’s call you Maid Marian.” She gave Delibub a little smirk and a wink, earning a series of giggles from Delibub’s chest. Delibub hadn’t known this cat for long, but she already felt safe around her. It was nice.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra-long one today, boys.
> 
> *Cute-hoor: A shrewd scoundrel, especially in business or politics.

It had been a week since Delibub had joined Embry on the streets and she found that she liked a dangerous life like this. It was wild and free and she didn’t have to worry about where she’d get her next meal from because Embry always knew the most reliable spots. Some cafes and coffee shops even began to leave out a dish of cream or some food for them as the owners noticed the two coming around a lot. Delibub quite liked cream. It was a nice little treat in between the discarded, uneaten portions of restaurant meals. One night, she and Embry were sharing a dish of cream that had been left out for them by the nice owner of a coffee shop when Delibub had a thought. “Where did you get your jacket?” she asked. Embry always wore a brown letterman jacket and Delibub had become very curious about it as of late.

“A toy shop!” Embry grinned, adjusting the collar. “You like?” Delibub nodded.

“It looks very pretty on you!” she complimented.

“Heh, gee, thanks, Robin. Y’know, I could probably snag you one too. I’m thinkin’  _ pink _ . Are you thinkin’ pink? I’m thinkin’ a nice rosy pink!” If cats could blush, Delibub would have  _ been _ a nice rosy pink at that moment.

“That’s okay. I’ll let the jacket be  _ your _ thing. But thank you very much for offering!” she replied graciously.

“Well, what about a nice ribbon to go around your neck? I bet it’d make you look real nice!” Embry offered.

“Well… A little something  _ does _ sound nice…” Delibub said thoughtfully. And like magic, just at that moment, a young gentleman came walking along with a lady with a big, baby blue bow holding her hair up and the two sat on a bench outside the coffee shop, looking up at the stars. Embry got a mischevious look in her eyes and trotted over behind the bench. She looked to the sky, and she gave a great leap and grabbed the end of the ribbon in her teeth, pulling the bow undone.

“Hey!” the young woman yelled. Embry didn’t waste a second. As soon as her feet hit the ground she took off running as the couple chased after her.

“Come on!” she murmured through clenched teeth, rushing past Delibub with the ribbon streaming behind her like a flag flying in victory. Delibub scampered after her and the two ran until they lost the couple by ducking down a few alleyways and behind a dumpster. When they were sure the couple had given up, the two cats broke into howling laughter at Embry’s stunt.

“Did you see her  _ face _ !?” Delibub giggled.

“Naw, I was too busy runnin’ for my damn life!” Embry cackled. Then she squeezed out from behind the dumpster and pulled Delibub out with her. “Nice job losing them,  _ Little John _ .” She held out a paw for a high five. Delibub touched her paw to hers.

“Thanks,  _ Robin Hood _ .” she replied with a smile.

“Now, to find a way to get this tied around your neck…” Embry pondered the idea for a little bit, then she noticed an old woman sitting on a bench, looking up at the stars. With Delibub following close behind, she strode over to the woman, ribbon in her mouth, and sat in front of her, wagging her tail like she was a dog. The woman looked at her with a kind smile.

“Oh, aren’t you a cute little thing?” she said in a sweet voice, “Would you like some milk?” Embry held her head high, showing the old woman the ribbon as Delibub came to sit next to Embry. “Oh! You need help! Here, let me.” Quickly, the old woman took the ribbon from Embry and promptly tied it around Embry’s neck.

“ _ Ack _ !” Embry mewed, “It’s too pretty! Get it off!” Delibub giggled. She pulled the end of the ribbon with her teeth and held the ribbon out to the woman, putting a paw to her own chest. Now the woman seemed to understand. She then took the ribbon and tied it snugly, but not uncomfortably, in a bow around Delibub’s neck. Delibub gave the woman a happy meow before she and Embry skittered away. “Now,  _ that _ ,” Embry commented, “Is a nice addition. You’ll have all the felines swooning over you!”

“Oh,  _ stop  _ it, you flirt.” Delibub batted her paw at Embry playfully.

“Hey, can’t deny the truth!” Embry booped her nose with her tail. “You’re a  _ catch _ , pussycat!”

That night, Embry and Delibub found a large cardboard box and decided to turn in for the night. Huddling together for warmth on that cool Summer night, Delibub rested her head on Embry’s shoulder, slowly drifting off to sleep with a smile on her face, a companion by her side, and warmth in her heart.

***

The next morning, Delibub woke up to find Embry had already woken up. Embry was sitting outside the box, chewing on a chicken sandwich she had no doubt stolen, due to it looking new and not from a dumpster out back at some fast food joint. Sitting next to her, untouched, was a fish sandwich. She looked into the box at Delibub. “Mornin’!” she greeted, gesturing to the fish sandwich, “Caught us some breakfast.”

“Right. ‘ _ Caught _ ‘“ Delibub did air quotes around the word ‘caught’, then she smiled gratefully. “Thank you.” She sauntered over beside Embry and took a bite of the fish. “So, what’s on the  _ Jellicle agenda  _ for today?” she asked, opting to the phrase she had a habit of using back at the junkyard. She had forgotten that Embry wouldn’t know what a Jellicle is. Embry tilted her head.

“ _ Jellicle _ ?” she inquired.

“Oh! Uh… Sorry… Force of habit… I used to use that phrase with my old family…” Delibub sighed. Embry looked at her with concern.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“No, no, I’d rather not…” Delibub shook her head. “I just want to live in the moment, not the past…” Embry nodded.

“Alright. Well, if you ever need to vent, ya got me right here to listen.” she wrapped her tail around Delibub’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Embry. You’re such a good friend.” Delibub smiled, resting her head on Embry’s shoulder. Just then, she got an idea. “Hey… Why don’t we do one of your…  _ Smash  _ and  _ grab _ , it’s called?”

“Ah, yes, the perfect initiation into the wonderful world of being a stray!” Embry hopped onto her feet, followed by Delibub. “Dear little Robin. Tonight is the night you see what you can really do.”

“Why not now?” she asked.

“Too risky in the light of day. People are awake and home from work on a Sunday. We’ll go when the sun sets.” Embry decided.

***

That night, Embry and Delibub made their way to a large house in Victoria Grove. The lights were all turned off which told them the owners were either asleep or not home. “Now, Robin. Let’s see if you can work your magic on this house.” Embry said, referring to when Delibub had managed to get up a tree without claws. Unfortunately, there were no trees within jumping or climbing distance of the house, so they were out of luck on that front. They tried running around the back of the house, where they found a large deck. Once they had gotten on top of that, they searched around for any way up to the roof. Delibub noticed a windowsill that was within jumping distance of the rain gutter. Quickly they jumped from the deck to the windowsill and then onto the rain gutter, grabbing hold of the edge of the roof and pulling themselves up onto it. “Good thinking, buddy!” Embry patted Delibub on the back. When they had arrived at the house, they noticed there was a chimney with no smoke coming out, so they figured that was their best bet at getting in. Embry hopped up onto the chimney and looked at Delibub. “See you on the other side.” she said before dropping down the chimney. Delibub peered down into the chimney. It was dark and looked like a tight squeeze, but she figured she would be able to fit if Embry could. She took a deep breath and jumped, landing in the unlit fireplace with a  _ thud _ . Soot flew around her in a cloud, covering her from head to toe. She blinked the soot out of her eyes and looked at Embry, who didn’t look much different aside from her jacket now being black and the white, heart-shaped fur on her chest being all but invisible due to the soot. Embry chuckled.

“What?” Delibub gave her a look of confusion.

“You look like me,” Embry remarked, dusting some soot off Delibub’s chest in a heart shape to mimic her own chest fur, “There. Now we’re twins!” Delibub smiled, giggling a little bit.

“Not  _ quite _ ,” she replied, dusting the soot off of Embry’s white chest fur, “There.  _ Now _ we’re twins. So, what do we do now?” Embry sauntered out of the fireplace, leaving black pawprints on the nice carpet.

“Whatever we want!” she replied, grinning. She hopped up onto a chair. “You know, the pet life isn’t for me,  _ buuut _ …” She sat down. “I could get used to  _ this _ kind of comfort.” She looked at Delibub and patted the spot next to her. “Take a load off!”

“Oh, I… I shouldn’t.” Delibub’s ears folded back. “I don’t want to make a mess of their home.”

“Then you’d better watch your feet on the carpet there.” Embry pointed down to Delibub’s feet. Delibub lifted up a paw to see a black pawprint.

“Oh! Oh no, this lovely rug!” She began to clean herself, something she often did when nervous, starting with her feet. Embry looked at her with amusement.

“You  _ do  _ realize the worst thing we’ve done here is break into this house, don’t you?” she asked. Suddenly, her ears twitched. She heard something. A giggle. And then a shushing noise.

“Yes but I don’t want to sully this lovely-”

“Hey, hey, shh shh shh!” she hopped down off the chair and put a paw to Delibub’s mouth. She carefully and quietly crept toward the source of the noise. It didn’t sound like a human. As she peered through the doorway of the room they were in, she noticed two cats climbing in the kitchen window. Delibub came and joined her and immediately felt her stomach twist. It was Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer! In an effort to not be recognized by the two calico cats, Delibub ran to the fireplace and rolled in the soot, re-covering herself in it. Embry didn’t seem to notice her leave and come back.  _ She _ was too distracted by Rumpleteazer gracefully leaping off the counter, nary making a  _ sound _ when her feet hit the ground.

“Tell me again, Jerrie, why we’re back here again? We already hit this house.” Rumpleteazer asked.

“Be _ cause _ . I saw a nice pillow I could snag for me den.” Mungojerrie replied.

“Alright, where was it?” Rumpleteazer sighed.

“The living room.” They began to make their way towards Embry and Delibub.

“Oh no…” Delibub whispered. Embry patted Delibub’s chest.

“I got this, don’t worry.” she whispered back. She stepped out from behind the door frame, making Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer jump. “Heyyy…” she greeted coyly, leaning on the door frame. Rumpleteazer looked her up and down.

“Hiii?” She raised an eyebrow at Embry.

“I’ll have you know, you’re trespassing on my human’s territory, madam and sir…” Embry waited for them to tell her their names.

“Mungojerrie.”

“And Rumpleteazer,” Rumpleteazer introduced, “And  _ these _ humans don’t  _ have  _ any cats.” Embry cursed herself internally.

“Dammit…” she whispered.

“Don’t worry, we’re all adults here,” Rumpleteazer remarked, “We know how to  _ share _ .”

“Says the cat who ate the last of me meat pies…” Mungojerrie muttered. Rumpleteazer whacked him on the back of his head.

“Yeah. I was  _ sharing your  _ meat pies.” She smirked, then eyed Delibub. “Who’s your friend here?” she asked Embry.

“Uhm, Robin! My name is Robin!” Delibub lied, her voice’s pitch rising nervously. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer’s eyes widened at the sound of her voice, but they seemed to brush it off.

“And you can call  _ me _ Embry.” Embry leaned on Rumpleteazer’s shoulder, Rumpleteazer stepping out of the way, sending Embry tumbling to the ground. Embry got up with a huff. “What gives?”

“Sorry. The family just had me groomed.” Rumpleteazer said apologetically. Mungojerrie stepped forward.

“I, for one, don’t care about cleanliness,” he said, taking Embry’s hand and shaking it, “Good ta meetcha!”

“You too. Hey, what do ya say we team up on this house?” Embry suggested.

“We’re just here to grab  _ Mungojerrie’s  _ pillow.” Rumpleteazer rolled her eyes. She clearly had  _ bigger _ fish to fry. She and Mungojerrie made their way into the living room, followed by Embry and Delibub. Delibub tried to keep off the carpet, but when she peered around behind the armchair, she noticed something concerning.

“Um… Rumpleteazer?” she called.

“Yeah?” Rumpleteazer replied.

“If these people don’t have a cat… What’s this pet bed?” Delibub asked.

“Oh! It’s for their dog!” Mungojerrie called back, clearly not bothered by that fact. Embry stopped in her tracks.

“D-d… Dog?” she inquired nervously. Just then, they heard a low growling. Looking towards the sound, they saw a large, angry-looking Doberman Pinscher. Embry quickly made her way to Delibub, pulling her away from the dog bed. “Delibub…  _ Run _ !” she yelled. She and Delibub made a break for the chimney, which had stones jutting out on the inside that Embry could latch onto.

“Delibub!?” Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer asked in unison. Delibub tried to follow Embry up the chimney, but she couldn’t get a hold on the stones without claws! Embry looked down at her.

“Delibub, come on! Climb!” she called.

“I-I can’t! I can’t hold onto the stones!” Delibub cried. Embry hesitated for a moment before jumping back down the chimney. She grabbed Delibub’s tail in her teeth and pulled her out of the way of the charging dog. With the dog away from the door, they were able to follow Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer out through the kitchen window, slamming it shut behind them with the barking dog still inside. They collapsed on the sidewalk, Delibub laughing and Embry breathing heavily, trying to calm herself down. Mungojerrie was currently cuddling the pillow he’d grabbed. “That was  _ exhilarating _ !” She sat up and helped Embry up. “Embry you were so brave! Thank you for saving me!” She threw her arms around Embry in a tight hug.

“We’re… We’re alive?” Embry asked.

“We are! And  _ I’m  _ alive because of  _ you _ !” Delibub said gratefully.

“Well, Delibub,” Rumpleteazer said, sauntering over to her, “You sure have changed in the time since we saw you last. You’re the  _ last _ queen we’d expect to break into a house.”

“Robin, you  _ know _ these cats?” Embry asked.

“I… Yes…” Deliibub sighed, hanging her head.

“Why’d you leave the junkyard?” Mungojerrie asked.

“... Um… Independence.” Delibub lied, shrugging her shoulders. Rumpleteazer looked at her skeptically.

“Mmmm… No. You hesitated.” she said, crossing her arms.

“What? No, I didn’t!” Delibub said defensively.

“You did, you definitely hesitated.” Mungojerrie cut in.

“I didn’t!” Delibub did  _ not _ want to get caught in her lie. She didn’t want anyone convincing her to come back. Not with what Macavity had done to her. She looked to Embry for backup.

“You… Kind of hesitated…” Embry admitted.

“Oh…” Delibub began to nervously groom herself. “Please don’t make me go back!”

“Hey, hey, relax. We ain’t gonna  _ make _ you do anything. Seems like you’ve found yourself a new family,” Rumpleteazer said, smiling, albeit a little sadly, “But… You should know… Everyone really misses you. Quaxo and Munkustrap especially. I’ve never  _ seen _ the little tux such a  _ mess _ before.” Delibub thought of Quaxo and what she must have put her friend through. She sat down, defeated.

“I can’t… No matter how much I want to… I can  _ never _ go back…” she said quietly, tears brimming her eyes. Embry put a paw on her back, rubbing it comfortingly.

“Hey, it’s okay… Delibub… What happened with you and your family?” she asked. Delibub shook her head.

“Nothing happened between us…” She looked at Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. “It’s  _ Macavity’s _ fault.”

“Macavity?” Embry growled, “What did that son of a bitch  _ do _ to you?” Delibub looked at her in shock.

“You  _ know  _ Macavity?” she questioned.

“ _ Oh  _ yeah. He’s a *cute-hoor, that one… Tried to get me to join his clan at one time, too.”

“Munkustrap told us what ‘appened, Delibub.” Mungojerrie said.

“Macavity had cornered her and attempted to hypnotize her and lull her to sleep, so he could feed her to his clan,” Rumpleteazer added with distaste, “It left a spiritual mark on her which would let him track her down or even see through her eyes.”

“And so I had to leave…” Delibub sighed, “I wouldn’t allow myself to put you all in danger like that. If Macavity had it out for all of you, I didn’t want to be the cause of an attack.”

“But Delibub,” Mungojerrie replied, “Mistoffelees can remove the mark!”

“He can? Are you certain?” Delibub asked.

“He’s done it before, for Munkustrap.” Rumpleteazer nodded. Delibub turned to Embry and put a paw on top of hers.

“Do you want to come?” she offered. Embry thought for a minute before grinning.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll tag along!” And together, the four cats raced as fast as they could toward the junkyard.


	10. Chapter 10

Munkustrap sat on top of Delibub’s old den, looking up at the stars. He had just finished patrolling the perimeter of the junkyard and was taking a much-needed break. Just then, he was startled by a tap on his shoulder. He jumped and whipped his head around, still in defense mode. It was only Quaxo. “Everlasting, Quaxo, don’t sneak up on me like that…”

“Sorry…” Quaxo sighed, “Any sign of Delibub tonight?”

“Nothing, I’m afraid.” Munkustrap shook his head.

“I miss her so much…” Quaxo sat down next to Munkustrap, hanging his head sadly.

“As do I, my friend…” Munkustrap replied, “I fear for her safety. A declawed cat all alone on the streets… I hope she’s okay.” Just then, through the dark, he saw two familiar faces approaching. It was Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. And that wasn’t all. As they got closer, he noticed someone else running along behind. It was Delibub! And someone else Munkustrap didn’t recognize but all he could think about was the fact that Delibub was back!

“Delibub!” Quaxo cried, hopping off the car and bounding full speed toward the group. He leapt up and landed belly first onto Delibub, nuzzling her affectionately. He nosed her soot-covered cheek. “You’re so dirty! What  _ happened _ ?”

“We, um… Fell into a fireplace,” Delibub admitted, “Breaking into a house…”

“My fault. Hi.” Embry raised a paw. Munkustrap approached the group, being cautious of the newcomer, but ultimately so happy to see Delibub. He touched his nose to his in greeting before nuzzling her forehead.

“Welcome back.” he said with a smile.

“You aren’t mad?” Delibub asked.

“ _ Mad _ ?  _ Heavens _ , no! I was more worried about you than anything!” Munkustrap replied.

“We kept your den clean for you in case you came back!” Quaxo cut in.

“Thank you,” Delibub said gratefully, wanting nothing more than to sink into her nest and fall asleep for hours, “Now, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer have told me that Mistoffelees can remove Macavity’s mark on me?”

“Yes, yes, of course! Is… Is Macavity’s mark why you left?” Munkustrap inquired. Delibub nodded.

“Yes. I didn’t want to put you all in danger.”

“Oh, Delibub… If only I had known. This whole situation could have been avoided…” Munkustrap lamented.

“I think it was good for me to go off on my own for a while. I think I’m stronger because of it. And if I hadn’t left, I wouldn’t have met Embry, here.” Delibub gestured towards Embry. “I don’t think I would have survived out there without her.” Munkustrap approached Embry.

“Thank you for being there for Delibub. I’m sure she needed a friend out there.” he bowed his head to her in respect then looked to Delibub. “Now, I’ll go fetch Mistoffelees! We must begin immediately!” And with that, he was off to find the magical cat. By this time, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had both gone off to their own respective dens for the night. Once Munkustrap had returned with Mistoffelees, they made their way to Delibub’s den.

***

“Is this going to hurt?” Delibub asked, sitting in her nest with Munkustrap, Mistoffelees, Quaxo and Embry by her side.

“Not at all. If anything, it should feel nice. At least that’s how Munkustrap described it when I performed the same on him.” Mistoffelees assured her. That seemed to calm Delibub down, so he continued. “Now. Lie down and close your eyes, ” he instructed, “I am going to put you into a trance.”

“A trance?” Delibub tilted her head.

“Yes. So you’ll be not awake, but not asleep. You won’t be distracted by anything external  _ or _ subconscious. No physical distractions or dreams. It will allow me to peer into your soul and purify it of any dark magic Macavity might have left there.” he explained. Delibub nodded, listening intently. She laid down on her side. As Mistoffelees worked his magic, reciting some incantation, her limbs began to feel heavy, as did her eyelids. She smiled slightly, feeling relaxed as she slowly drifted out of consciousness.

***

When Delibub awoke, the sun was streaming through the windows of the car she called her den. She sat up, stretching her back. She was alone. Shrugging, she made her way to her den door and peered out. Some of the Jellicles had already started their day. She spotted Alonzo lounging around on a large tire in the sun, and she saw Tugger and Mistoffelees sitting alone at the east side of the junkyard, talking quietly about something. She stepped out, yawning as the warm sun hit her back. She wondered if Embry had stayed in the yard. She hoped so. She wanted to stay here, but she didn’t want to lose her good friend. To her relief, she heard a thud on the roof of the car and looked up to see Embry holding a hot dog in her mouth. “Embry!” she exclaimed, “You stayed!”

“Of course I stayed, silly Robin! I wasn’t about to abandon a friend in her time of need! What do you take me for, a  _ monster _ ?” Embry feigned offense. Delibub smiled and hopped up onto the car with Embry.

“Thank you. You know… You could always stay here. It’d be nice having another friend who’s here during the day, since Munkustrap stays home until dark.” she suggested. Embry thought for a moment.

“Well… I’m not much for staying in one place… But… Here, let’s try this. I’ll give it a week. A trial run to see how I like it.” she offered. Delibub smiled, satisfied with that.

“Oh, thank you!”

“And if I don’t decide to stay, you know I’ll still come visit you.” Embry assured her.

“Trust me, you’ll love it here. Everyone is so nice! And every year they hold an event called the Jellicle ball!” Delibub said enthusiastically. Embry leaned back on the windshield of the car.

“Really now. Tell me about that.”

“Well, it was cancelled this year because Macavity was too much of a threat, so I’ve never been to one, but every year, all the Jellicles gather together for a night of dancing, singing, storytelling, and celebrating life. And at the end of the night, one deserving cat is chosen to go to a place called the Heaviside Layer,” Delibub explained, pointing up at the sky, “Where they will be reborn as a new kitten in the Jellicle tribe.”

“Sounds like a blast! You really are all like a big family…” Embry mused. 

“We are,” Delibub smiled, “I’m shocked I was accepted as fast as I was. They take you as you are, flaws and all…”

“Mmm… Hey. What’s the deal with Teazer?”

“Rumpleteazer? What about her?” Delibub asked.

“She single? Into queens?” Embry clarified. Delibub thought for a moment.

“I’m not sure. I don’t know her too well. But I know she’s  _ always  _ hanging around her brother, Mungojerrie. I’ve never seen the two apart except for when they turn in for the night.”

“Well, looks like it’s time for me to do a little  _ investigation _ . If ya catch my drift.” Embry got up, waving her tail at Delibub as a goodbye.

“You little flirt.” Delibub giggled. She could easily tell Embry’s intentions. She couldn’t blame her, either. Rumpleteazer was quite the queen. Beautiful, smart  _ and  _ capable. Plus, she and Embry seemed to have a thing in common. Mischief.

“Ah, you flatter me. So long!” Embry called back as she scurried off. Delibub leaned back against the windshield of the car and sighed, shutting her eyes and taking in the sun. Soon, the metal became too hot and she was forced to move to her tire, which she didn’t mind much. As Mistoffelees and Tugger finished their conversation, Mistoffelees spotted her and cheerfully trotted up, hopping onto the tire with her.

“Good morning, Delibub!” he greeted, sitting down, “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Much better. It feels nice to sleep in a warm bed again.” Delibub sighed, stretching.

“Wonderful! I’m glad you’re back. It’s a relief to know you’re safe.” Mistoffelees smiled.

“On another note. So… Looks like you and Tugger were getting pretty cuddly over there. Whispering amongst yourselves.” Delibub wiggled her eyebrows, something she picked up from Embry. Mistoffelees’ tail straightened up as he was caught off guard. He looked down at his feet with a little smile. “Oh, I knew it! What’s happening? Are you mates?”

“Not yet. But were are… Courting…” he said with a small, shy giggle. Delibub squealed.

“ _ Oh _ , that’s  _ so _ cute! And I thought the Rum Tum Tugger didn’t  _ care _ for a cuddle.”

“He doesn’t. Usually…” Mistoffelees gave her a cheeky grin.

***

Meanwhile, Embry poked through the junkyard, looking for Rumpleteazer. She didn’t find  _ her _ , but she did become preoccupied with looking at cool objects she found in the junkpile. Old t-shirts, sewing kits, records, why would anyone throw those out? Suddenly, she heard a voice from behind.

“Lost?” It didn’t sound like genuine concern. More like snark. She turned to see a tom, a little bit taller than her, with gold, leonine fur and a regal air. He had chocolate brown eyes and a black, spiked collar. He looked down at her with one eyebrow raised. Embry stood up, crossing her arms.

“What’s it to ya?” she asked.

“Nothing, just that you’ve been in this spot three times in the past half hour.” The tom smirked. Embry raised her chin at him.

“I like this spot.” She gave him a silly smile. He plopped himself down on a tire, stretching out his limbs and closed his eyes.

“Ah, I could take it or leave it.” he said, then went silent. A few more semi uncomfortable seconds passed before he opened one eye and looked up at her. “You’re looking for Rumpleteazer, aren’t you? I heard you talking to Deli.” Embry sat down.

“D’you know her?” she inquired.

“Of course I know her, we’re both Jellicles.” The tom snorted.

“Well okay mister, then answer me this. What’s her deal? She got a special tom or queen?”

“Queen. And I don’t know about that, but what I  _ can  _ tell you is that for the longest time, she’s been the only queen in the yard who’s into queens.” he told her, “Try your luck.” Adding an encouraging smile there at the end. Embry held out her paw.

“I’m Embry.” she introduced. The tom fist-bumped her.

“Rum Tum Tugger. That’s  _ Tugger  _ to you,” he responded, closing his eyes, “Teazer’s probably gone back home to her family by now. They usually only come out at night.”

“Damn… Welp, guess I’m hangin’ around till I can talk to her, then.” Embry sat down next to him, fiddling with one of the old band t-shirts she had found. She heard Tugger chuckle. “What?”

“Nothing, I’m just interested in seeing what happens,” he remarked, “ _ No  _ cat has  _ ever _ been able to impress Teazer enough to mate.  _ Trust _ me. I’ve tried.”

“Careful there. I saw you getting cozy with that… Mistoffelees is his name?” Embry asked. Tugger gave her a look.

“What do  _ you _ know about us?” he asked defensively.

“Oh, just that you were lookin’ at him some kinda way.” Embry rolled her eyes. Tugger didn’t say anything, he just started fiddling with his mane, hopping off the tire.

“It’s been a slice, Emmy.” he said before strutting away.

“Hey! Don’t call me- And he’s gone.”

***

That night, Embry had been taking a nap. With Delibub asleep and Embry’s quest for Rumpleteazer momentarily halted, there was nothing to do. All of a sudden, she was roused from her sleep by being lifted up by her arms and legs. “Get up, bitch, we’re going on an adventure.” said one of the voices. Embry’s eyes flew open and she squirmed to see who had spoken. She blinked blearily at the one who had her legs.

“... Jerrie?” she questioned.

“ _ And _ Rumpleteazer!” Rumpleteazer gave her a wicked grin. Embry flailed her arms and legs, causing Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer to drop her onto the soft pile of trash. She sat up, scratching her head. “We wanna cause some mischief.”

“And  _ you’re  _ coming  _ with _ us!” Mungojerrie proclaimed. Embry took a second to process what was happening before standing up.

“So! Where to?” she asked. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer shrugged.

“Lead the way!” Rumpleteazer smiled. Embry thought for a moment. How could she impress Rumpleteazer?

“Well, you  _ know… _ I  _ have  _ always wanted to infiltrate Buckingham Palace.” It was a lie, but it would be impressive enough if it worked. The twins’ faces lit up.

“Sounds  _ perfect _ .” Rumpleteazer said, hopping off the trash pile. She was soon followed closely by Mungojerrie, and then Embry and off the three went into the night.

***

Meanwhile, Delibub couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned, but ultimately her attempts were for naught. Instead of laying there awake, she decided to go outside and look at the stars. Hopping up onto the roof of her den, she smiled. The moon shone brightly that night, brighter than she’d ever seen it. If a Jellicle moon was brighter than  _ this _ , she couldn’t wait to see one. “May I join you?” someone asked from behind her. She turned to see it was Munkustrap. She smiled and moved over, patting the spot next to her. They sat in silence for a few moments before Munkustrap spoke. “My father tells me he likes you a lot.”

“He does?” Delibub asked. Munkustrap nodded.

“Mm-hm! He’s quite a good judge of character. I swear, sometimes I think he can see into a cat’s soul…” he laughed lightly.

“I mean, he  _ must  _ be able to, if he could tell what Macavity had done to me.” Delibub added.

“Hm… Yes. Yes, I suppose so… Quaxo tells me you want to be reborn. Why ever would you want that?” he asked. Delibub sighed.

“I… Don’t want to go through it all again… It was exhausting the first time, emotionally.”

“Ah…” Munkustrap nodded. “That’s okay. If it’s personal I understand. But remember. I’m your friend. I’ll be here if you ever need to talk about things.” After a few more moments of silence, Delibub leaned over and rested her head on Munkustrap’s shoulder. He was taken by surprise but smiled, contentedly holding his tail high. As they watched the stars, something curious happened. A comet shot by above them. Munkustrap made a silent wish on it, as did Delibub. But neither would dare admit to the other what they wished for.

***

Once Embry, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had made their way to Buckingham Palace, they sat on a rooftop to make a game plan. “Alright. How do we get past the guards?” Rumpleteazer asked. Embry surveyed the area, noticing three unlit chimneys on the roof of the palace. She pointed.

“There. We’ll slip through the fence and climb up that tree onto the roof. There are three chimneys. If we each go down a different one, we’ll cover more ground and not get caught all together if we’re spotted.” she explained her plan to the twins as they listened intently. Once everyone was clear on what to do, they put their plan into action. Making it up to the roof, they each hopped up onto a chimney and dropped down. Embry landed with a  _ thud  _ in the unlit fireplace, spreading soot all over the surrounding area. She got up and looked around. She was in an  _ extremely  _ well-furnished living room, with paintings of past kings and queens on the wall. It was dark, but her eyes easily adjusted to it. Making her way out of the room she heard a vase break. “That’ll be Jerrie.” she said to herself, going to follow the source of the noise. Sure enough, she found Jerrie sitting amongst broken glass and flowers. He had a wide, proud grin on his face. “Shh!” Embry hushed him, “You don’t want to get us caught, do you?” He shook his head.

“Sorry.” he whispered. Soon enough, Rumpleteazer came sliding down a stair bannister to join them.

“So, what’s the plan now?” she asked.

“Jesus, am I going to be making  _ all _ the decisions tonight?” Embry sighed.

“‘Ey, it ain’t every day we meet another mischief-maker. Most ‘a those Jellicles are a bunch of goody-two-shoes.” Mungojerrie pouted, crossing his arms. Embry smirked.

“Well, then. Follow my lead.” she said, scurrying down the hallway. Her heavy footsteps rumpled the carpet and she came to a stop in front of an open door which led to a bedroom. She beckoned Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer closer, quietly creeping into the room with them following behind. Embry hopped onto the bedroom vanity and scanned the room. It was nice. There were many small items on the vanity. Necklaces, rings, bracelets, pictures in frames. But Embry had her eye on one item in particular, and it was over on the nightstand next to the bed where an elderly couple was sleeping.

“Who’re those ol’ farts?” Mungojerrie asked, clumsily pulling himself up onto the nightstand, knocking some jewelry off in the process.

“That’d be the monarch of our great nation, dear Mungojerrie.” Embry replied, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

“Enough with the history lesson,” Rumpleteazer cut in, joining them on the vanity, “Let’s get to the smash and grab.”

“Well,” Embry snickered, “Mungojerrie already handled the  _ smash _ .”

“ _ Yeah _ I did!” Mungojerrie cheered.

“Shh!” Embry pressed a paw to his mouth with her eye on the nightstand. She quietly hopped down and made her way over, climbing up the slightly open drawers. When she managed to get on top of the nightstand, she grabbed what she had been eyeing and hopped down. All of a sudden, they heard footsteps. But it didn’t sound like a human. It sounded like the click-clack of an animal’s long claws. The three cats watched as a little, fat corgi waddled into the room and panted at them. Embry stiffened. “D-d-d…”

“Aw, look how cute!” Rumpleteazer cooed, hopping off the vanity and sauntering up to the dog.

“Teazer, get away from that thing! Don’t you know they’re  _ vicious _ ?” Embry whisper-yelled.

“Oh, not this sweet lil boy!” Rumpleteazer scratched the dog’s belly and the dog fell over onto his side, his leg shaking.

“Can we  _ please _ just go?” Embry begged, not fully trusting the dog. Rumpleteazer looked to Embry and saw that Embry was genuinely scared.

“Oh, alright.” She smiled, heading over to the window. Mungojerrie sidled up next to her and she slid the window open and hopped onto a nearby tree limb, followed by Mungojerrie and Embry. Embry closed the window so the dog wouldn’t escape. They clawed their way down the tree and scampered off back to the junkyard. When they returned, Rumpleteazer realized that they had forgotten to grab something. “Fuck! We forgot to get somethin’ to show for our work!”

“Not  _ exactly _ .” Embery smirked. In her paw she twirled a shiny diamond bracelet, the perfect size for Rumpleteazer’s neck. “Oh, but I don’t think it’ll fit  _ me _ !” she gasped. Mungojerrie snatched it from her.

“Oh, Embry, you  _ shouldn’t have _ !” He clutched it to his chest. “I’ll treasure it  _ forever _ !” Embry grabbed it back from him, laughing.

“Now, now, Mungojerrie. We don’t take things that don’t belong to us.” she jokingly chided, handing the bracelet to Rumpleteazer. “For you.” she said with a small smile. If cats could blush, Rumpleteazer would be as red as Delibub’s fur.

“Look at you, remembering everything!” she praised, pulling the bracelet over her head, “I love it.” She patted Embry on the cheek before turning to leave. Before she did, though, she smiled. “Same time tomorrow night?” Embry’s face lit up.

“You bet!” she replied enthusiastically.


	11. Epilogue

As the week went on, Delibub began to introduce Embry to more and more cats of the tribe. She could see Embry was trying, for Delibub’s sake, to make friends. Delibub appreciated it. She was happy to find that Embry had become quite close with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, and was beginning a blossoming friendship with Tugger over their mutual enjoyment of being chaotic bitches.

As the week came to an end, Delibub awaited Embry’s answer on whether or not she would be staying in the junkyard. While she was laying on her tire one afternoon, Munkustrap hopped up with her. “Good afternoon!” he greeted. Delibub sat up and looked at him quizzically.

“I thought you stayed at home during the day.” she said.

“I do, usually, but the family is on vacation in Paris, so I can stay around more often,” Munkustrap replied, grinning, “Has Embry made a decision on whether or not she will be staying here?”

“I haven’t heard any confirmation from her just yet. She should be around. I might go looking for her. I’m eager to find out.”

“Sup Jellicle bitches!” called a voice. Delibub and Munkustrap glanced up to see Embry standing on top of a tall pile of trash. She leapt over and landed on the car, which was currently burning from the hot sun. “ _ Ow _ , fuck that’s hot!” She jumped onto the tire, which was warm, but not as hot as the metal of the car.

“Hello, Embry!” Delibub smiled.

“Hey, Robin! What’s goin’ on?” Embry asked.

“Oh, just chatting with Munkustrap. So, have you decided yet?”

“On lunch? Nah. I’ll see what Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are feelin’.” she joked. Delibub playfully smacked her on the shoulder. “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you. I like it here! I think I’ll stay!”

“ _ Really _ !? Oh, Embry, I’m so happy!” Delibub wrapped her arms around Embry tightly. “You’re a Jellicle!”

“Woah, woah, Robin, you’re gonna squeeze the life outta me!” Embry wheezed, squirming out of Delibub’s hold and smoothing out her chest fur.

“Sorry… I’m just so excited! Isn’t this wonderful, Munkustrap?” Delibub glanced at Munkustrap, who had a content smile on his face.

“It is indeed!” Munkustrap replied, “It’s always a joy to see the tribe grow.” Delibub happily bounced on the balls of her feet. She couldn’t contain her excitement. Munkustrap chuckled, nuzzling her with his nose. Delibub sat down, trying to calm her racing heart. She sighed, looking out at the lovely day before her. She hoped things would stay like this forever and ever. With her good friends by her side.

  
  
END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading this story! I've had so much fun writing it and I'm so happy people enjoy it! There's still so much more to come in the life of Delibub, and more characters to meet, so stay tuned for the sequel!


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